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India is set to host the coveted G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi on September 9 and 10, 2023. The event will have world leaders like US President Joe Biden in attendance and as a result, to enhance security measures in the capital, a number of restrictions have been announced by the government which will make daily commute a hassle starting September 7 when the guests start arriving. Here is what the residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) will have to keep in mind: Commercial vehicles: All types of goods vehicles, commercial vehicles, interstate buses and local city buses such as Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMTS) buses shall not operate on Mathura Road (beyond Ashram Chowk), Bhairon Road, Purana Quila Road and inside Pragati Maidan Tunnel from 00:00 hours on the intervening night of September 7 to September 10 midnight. Goods vehicles: Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs) and Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) will not be allowed to enter into Delhi from 21:00 hours on September 7 to September 10. However, goods vehicles carrying Essential Commodities such as milk, vegetables, fruits, medical supplies, etc., having valid ‘No Entry Permissions’ will be permitted. For the entire New Delhi district: The entire area of New Delhi District will be considered as “Controlled Zone-I '' from 05:00 AM, September 8 to September 10 midnight. However, bonafide residents, authorised vehicles and vehicles dealing with housekeeping, catering, waste management, etc. for hotels, hospitals &amp; other important installations in New Delhi District will be allowed. Routes for the above mentioned “allowed vehicles”: The mentioned vehicles will be allowed to ply (only after due verification) on C-Hexagon India Gate, Copernicus Marg, Bhagwan Dass Marg, Tilak Marg, Purana Quila Road, Mathura Road (from W-Point to Oberoi Hotel Flyover), Shershah Road, Zakir Hussain Marg, Pandara Road, Shahjahan Road, Akbar Road, Kartavyapath, Ashoka Road, KG Marg, Bhairon Marg, Mansingh Road, Motilal Nehru Marg, Humayun Road, Janpath, Rafi Marg, Maulana Azad Road, Sansad Marg, Connaught Place (Outer &amp; Inner Circle), Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Rama Krishna Ashram Marg, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Park Street, Talkatora Road, Mandir Marg, Bhai Veer Singh Marg, Panchkuian Road, Vande Matra Marg, Sardar Patel Marg, San Martin Marg, Abai Marg, ABHM Marg, Simon Bolivar Marg, Panchsheel Marg, Shanti Path, Satya Marg, Niti Marg, Vinay Marg, Kautilya Marg, Teen Murti Marg, South Avenue Road, Dara Shikoh Road, Krishna Menon Marg, K. Kamraj Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent Road, Tyagraj Marg, Kushak Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, APJ Abdul Kalam Road, Safdarjung Road, Rajaji Marg, Tees January Marg, Rajesh Pilot Marg, Prithviraj Road, Tughlak Road, Amrita Shergil Marg, Dr. Rajender Prasad Road, Ferozeshah Road, Tolstoy Road, Barakhamba Road, Sikandra Road, &amp; Vijay Chowk. Ring Road or Mahatma Gandhi Marg: The government notice says that the entire area inside Ring Road (Mahatma Gandhi Marg) will be considered as “Regulated Zone” from 05:00 hours of September 8 September 10 midnight. Only bonafide residents, authorised vehicles, emergency vehicles and vehicles of passengers travelling to Airport, Old Delhi &amp; New Delhi Railway Stations will be allowed to ply on the road network. Roads and junctions being treated as “Controlled Zone-II”: For 14 hours on September 10 (midnight to 14:00 hrs) the following roads will have restricted access: W-Point, A-Point, DDU Marg, Vikas Marg (till Noida Link Road – Pusta Road), Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Delhi Gate, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (from Rajghat to Guru Nanak Chowk), Chaman Lal Marg (from Guru Nanak Chowk to Turkman Gate), Asaf Ali Road (from Turkman Gate to BSZMarg), Maharaja Ranjit Singh Marg (from Barakhamba – Tolstoy crossing to Guru Nanak Chowk on Chaman Lal Marg), Mahatma Gandhi Marg (from Delhi-Meerut Expressway T-Point to Kashmere Gate), IP Flyover, Shanti Van Chowk, Hanuman Setu, ISBT Kashmere Gate and Salimgarh Bypass. No TSR &amp; Taxi: No prepaid or any other taxi will be allowed to enter or ply in New Delhi District from 05:00 hours of September 9 to September 10 midnight. However, movement of following categories of vehicles shall be exempted from the above restrictions: - i) All types of commercial vehicles including buses which are already present in Delhi shall be allowed to move on Ring Road &amp; road network beyond Ring Road towards the borders of Delhi. ii) Taxis carrying bonafide residents and tourists having valid bookings in hotels located inside New Delhi District, and intending to go to New Delhi Railway Station will be allowed to ply on the road network inside New Delhi District. iii) General traffic, except goods vehicles and buses, will be allowed into Delhi from Rajokari Border. Compulsory diversion: Further, the above mentioned traffic will be compulsorily diverted from NH-48 to Rao Tula Ram Marg – Olof Palme Marg. No vehicular movement will be allowed on NH-48 towards Dhaula Kuan. Defence and emergency vehicles: Vehicles of Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Police, Disaster Management, Fire tenders, Ambulance and those engaged in emergency services like road maintenance, maintenance of electric supply, water/sewage line, communication network, etc. will be allowed to move throughout Delhi. The existing prohibition as notified from time to time for different categories of vehicles shall also prevail.

Delhiites, here are all the traffic restrictions as a result of the G20 summit

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US soldiers are training with Indian troops in the Himalayas this month for exercise Yudh Abhyas.</li><li>This year's version of the exercise is being held near India's disputed border with China.</li></ul>US soldiers arrived in India this month for Yudh Abhyas, venturing to the Himalayas for the 18th iteration of the annual exercise to train in cold, mountainous conditions with Indian troops.The exercise, held around Auli in the northern state of Uttarakhand, comes as the US and India both manage rising tensions with China, and the training is seen as a message to each other and to China about the strength of their relations.Yudh Abhyas has alternated between the US and India since the early 2000s. In 2021, it took place <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-indian-soldiers-yudh-abhyas-exercise-alaska-amid-china-tension-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Alaska for only the second time</a>. The US participants this year are members of the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division, which was reactivated this summer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-alaska-army-unit-extends-reach-in-arctic-and-beyond-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to focus on operations in extreme cold and mountainous conditions</a> — a skill set getting renewed attention from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-british-navies-step-up-arctic-presence-with-carrier-operations-2022-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US, its allies, and their rivals</a>."The Army typically doesn't go to the Himalayas, and now we have an Arctic force and we're training in the Arctic. We feel confident that we could do things like that now that the Army couldn't do before," Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, 11th Airborne Division commander, said in an interview at the Association of the US Army conference in Washington DC in October."The Indian Army asked us last year to train at 10,000 feet up in the Himalayas," Gen. Charles Flynn, head of the US Army's Pacific forces, said at the conference. "Now we have a force capable of being able to say, 'Yes, we'll be there.'"According to an Indian <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1876038" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>, the two-week exercise will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and include "all operations related to peace keeping &amp; peace enforcement." In addition to a command-post exercise and expert discussions, it will include a field-training exercise involving "establishment and functioning of surveillance grids," mountain-warfare training, and casualty evacuation and combat medical aid "in adverse terrain and climatic conditions," as well as drone and counter-drone operations, the release says.The exercise was originally scheduled for October and US soldiers wanted to parachute in, but the jump didn't work out and the exercise was delayed until this month, kicking off on November 19.<div type="image" title="US Army soldiers play cards in Uttarakhand India Himalaya" height="1500" width="2000" msid="95694890" hostid="261" sizebytes="643418"></div>"But they do want us to be up there and have us in Himalayas, and we're like, 'Yeah, absolutely,'" Eifler said, adding as part of US Indo-Pacific Command, his division's task is to focus on working with countries in the region "that have those extreme cold [conditions] and mountain terrain."Yudh Abyhas has previously taken place elsewhere in northern India, including in Uttarakhand, but this year it is being held only about 60 miles from the Line of Actual Control, a 2,100-mile boundary separating China and India that was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/world/asia/india-china-border.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">established</a> as part of a truce following their 1962 border war.Parts of the LAC remain disputed, and after decades of relative calm, that dispute <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-border-dispute-tensions-how-china-and-india-militaries-compare-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flared in June 2020</a>, when at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in a brawl in the Ladakh region northwest of where Yudh Abyhas is being held.Since then, New Delhi and Beijing have held <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-china-agree-for-more-military-talks-to-resolve-pending-lac-issues/article66011447.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a series of talks</a> leading to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-india-tanks-armor-could-make-future-war-much-deadlier-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disengagement of troops and equipment</a> that both sides moved into the area before and after the June 2020 clash, but they continue to <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/china-building-spree-at-depsang-plains/cid/1898521" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bolster</a> their <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3185506/chinese-military-upgrades-near-disputed-himalayan-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military</a> presence and <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-developing-infrastructure-along-china-border-for-surveillance-army-3292799" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infrastructure</a> in the region.<div type="image" title="India army convoy Kashmir Ladakh" height="1710" width="2500" msid="95694894" hostid="261" sizebytes="699856"></div>"The US and India probably anticipated that conducting the exercise near the Chinese border would draw Beijing's ire. It sends a useful hint — to both China and equally the Indian Army — that the US appreciates India's security concerns on the border," Arzan Tarapore, South Asia research scholar at Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, told Insider."But as far as political signaling goes, the US and India have still left some room to escalate — while this iteration is near the border, it is not near disputed stretches of the LAC or near recent crisis areas," Tarapore added.The exercise also reflects the recent advancement of US-Indian relations, particularly on defense issues. "The deepening of strategic and defense ties on a bilateral front has been significant," India's ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/11/10/conversation-with-ambassador-taranjit-singh-sandhu-event-7976" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> this month.Between 2002 and 2020, the two militaries signed four foundational agreements allowing for expanded cooperation <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on logistics and communications and sharing of classified information</a>.<div type="image" title="India army soldiers in Alaska Arctic Yudh Abhyas" height="1333" width="2000" msid="95694897" hostid="261" sizebytes="100924"></div>In addition to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/india-us-brothers-in-arms-1856465-2021-09-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> US arms sales and larger exercises, the militaries have achieved several milestones in recent years, including the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-sends-message-with-historic-bomber-flights-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first visit by a US bomber aircraft</a> and the <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427397/us-navys-military-sealift-command-conducts-maintenance-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first repair of a US naval ship</a> in an Indian shipyard.The US Army has sent India's army some 30,000 sets of "extreme cold-weather gear" for individuals and small units "over the last couple of years," Flynn said in October, "because operating at that altitude and in those conditions is radically different" from other environments.Tarapore, whose researches Indian defense policy, said that beyond political signals, US-Indian military exercises should aim to build "understanding, trust, and interoperability.""We should be watching to see if each iteration of Yudh Abayas gets more realistic, more complicated, tests more military functions, and scenarios more likely to be used in the real world," Tarapore told Insider, adding that this year's focus on disaster response and "some fairly complex staff and field components" was "a good sign.""The more complex and realistic an exercise is, the better postured they will be to work together in real contingencies — and to deter potential adversaries," Tarapore said. "Ultimately, that's the goal of the military relationship."

US and Indian troops are teaming up for tough training in the Himalayas near a tense border with China

Though the Centre has trumpeted the India-China disengagement along the <keyword id="49399" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Actual-Control">Line of Actual Control</keyword> (LAC) in Ladakh as a victory, Army veteran Lt. Gen. H.S. Panag called it pragmatic acceptance of weakness and Beijing's 1959 claim. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Gen. Panag claimed that the "disengagement" is happening exactly as per China's 1959 claim line because India has no military capability to alter the situation. However, he said, it is "good for the long term peace" since the disengagement in Ladakh is likely a part of the broader plan for settlement of border disputes between the two countries. The plan, he presumed, will include acceptance of McMohan Line in Northeast with some give and take between New Delhi and Beijing, as per the 1959 proposal. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="80831679" title="India and China begin to disengage from friction areas along the border — terms and conditions apply" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> In 1959, China's then Prime Minister Zhou Enlai had proposed to the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru that the armies of both the countries withdraw 20 kms from the McMohan Line in the East and from the line up to which each side exercised actual control in the West. Through its intrusions since May, China has already reached the 1959 claim line in Depsang and north of Pangong Tso, according to Panag. The militaries of both sides had been locked in a faceoff along the same line except Demchok, an inhabited area. The 1959 Claim Line, he said, is a marvel of cartography to protect Aksai Chin and other areas seized by China in the 1950s. "If we attempt to get back those areas, Chinese can by the configuration of the 1959 claim line, close certain areas and usurp more of our territory. For example, at the North of Pangong Tso from where all our routes go to Hot Springs and Gogla, the distance from the northern edge of the Pangong Tso to the Konkala Pass (Hot Springs and Gogla area) is 100 kms. They have taken up the area up to Finger 4. So if they come another 30 to 40 kms forward and choke us, then this 100 kms will also go." "Similarly, the way they are poised in the DBO sector, no matter how many troops you put, that area is like a piece of cake. It will fall within 48 hours. The DBO airfield is within 10 kms of the 59 claim line, which is also the LAC there in the northern part of the DBO sector." The veteran defence analyst said that in the Southern part of Ladakh, India had crossed the 59 claim line and used to patrol. "But now they have stopped us from patrolling. So they have reached the 59 claim line and we are not in a position to vacate them militarily." Panag, whose defence analyses are read widely, a few months ago had claimed that by crossing the LAC, Chinese had gained everything and India lost everything. He had also predicted that India would lose the commanding heights of the Kailash range to China. "But I have revised my assessment now to say that the disengagement is the forerunner of a macro plan which may lead to an all-encompassing agreement where we accept the 59 claim line in Ladakh with buffer zones to save face and also a demilitarised zone of 20 kms." He said it was the most pragmatic solution for India to accept the '59 Claim Line with buffer zones. "Buffer zones in the Depsang plain, Pangong will not be patrolled or occupied and no infrastructure will be developed. So to that end, nothing has changed," Lt. Gen. Panag argued. However, buffer zones will be in the lower portion, the southern half of the Depsang plain, that is about 800 sq kms where Chinese have been patrolling, 20 kms east-west depth and 30-40 kms north-south. In Pangong Tso, its about 50-60 kms. "So overall, roughly 800 to 1,000 kms will become buffer zones. Also, buffer zones may come up in other areas where there is some small dispute like in Chumar," he said. This he said would be the first part of the plan and the rest of the plan will unravel in the next couple of weeks. The second part of the agreement, he said, will include a demilitarised zone of 20 kms on either side of the new LACï¿½1959 claim line. "This is what China had offered in 1959 and they will give up the Northeast," he said. At the same time, Gen. Panag, however said that the advantage goes to China because they have better infrastructure and they can quickly enter the area. "But then we can put some troops which can preempt it. Last year, we could not preempt it but that was our lapse. We were hesitant; we did not read the Chinese right." However, domestically, he said, there is no problem, he said with an element of sarcasm. "The government has already sold the idea that nothing much has happened and Modi Ji is very popular. The neo-nationalists have gone against their own creed (territory being important to the nation) and launched propaganda that nothing has happened. It has been done through denial, opacity, bluff, bluster and obfuscation." In the present situation, it is the best bet if it leads to peace for another 30 years, Panag said, arguing that tensions flared up between the two Asian giants 27 years after the last time they came to such an agreement in 1993. "If we had the capability, China would have never done this. It happened because they knew our weakness," he said. "If we get another 30 years, then we will be in a position to create the desired military capability, build up our economy, reduce the gap, not that we can catch up with China but to the extent between the US and China. There is still a huge gap between the US and China but China is no longer a pushover for the US. What China gains out of it is that if there is no quarrel left with India, New Delhi has no reason to ally with the US to contest China." SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/india-and-china-begin-to-disengage-from-friction-areas-along-the-border/articleshow/80831679.cms">India and China begin to disengage from friction areas along the border — terms and conditions apply</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/twitter-faces-a-political-disaster-in-india-where-its-taking-heat-from-both-the-government-and-protesters-over-the-suspension-of-accounts/articleshow/80790166.cms">Twitter faces a political disaster in India, where it's taking heat from both the government and protesters over the suspension of accounts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/at-least-35000-gamers-were-complaining-when-ps4-and-ps5-network-went-down-for-an-hour-a-little-after-dawn/articleshow/80826872.cms">How big is Playstation in India⁠ — at least 35,000 gamers were complaining when PS4 and PS5 network went down for an hour a little after dawn</a>

India's disengagement plan looks a lot like China's 1959 claim on the LAC, according to Indian Army veteran H.S. Panag

<keyword id="150671" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="chief-of-defence-staff">Chief of Defence Staff</keyword> General <keyword id="2496903" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bipin-Rawat">Bipin Rawat</keyword> said on Monday that if diplomatic talks with China over the border issue fail, then military options are on the table. "The military option to deal with the transgressions by the Chinese is still on but will be considered only if the talks at the diplomatic and military level fail," said General Bipin Rawat. He however, refused to share what military options India is looking upon. The Chinese <keyword id="6358624" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="peoples-liberation-army">People's Liberation Army</keyword> (PLA) troops are sitting at various disputed and friction points along the <keyword id="49399" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Actual-Control">Line of Actual Control</keyword> (LAC). They have refused to disengage since mid-July and have started construction work on those disputed junctions. Apart from that they have been raising unacceptable points before India. To deal with the emerging situation, Defence Minister <keyword id="6355121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword> on Saturday held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the top military brass to discuss the situation at the border with China. Talks between India and China remain deadlocked. India has to move around three additional formations to reinforce the border. Singh held the review meeting with Doval, Rawat and the three service chiefs on the prevailing situation at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh where Chinese troops are still camping. "The meeting happened for almost one-and-a-half-hours in South Block," said a source. The de-escalation of troops at the LAC has stopped for now as the disengagement talks between India and China have hit a roadblock. China has refused to move back from its present military position north of the Pangong Tso and Depsang. The PL) has refused to pull back eastwards from the 8-km stretch it has occupied from Finger-4 to Finger-8 by building scores of new fortifications there since early May. The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance. China has also increased its troop deployment at Lipulekh, the place that became a trigger for strained relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu. Lipulekh is a tri-junction between India, Nepal and China situated atop the Kalapani Valley. China has changed the status quo on the LAC at various places. India has objected to it and is taking up the matter with China at all levels. Both the countries are locked in a more than three-month-long standoff at multiple points, hitherto unprecedented, along the border. During the meeting, it was also discussed that Beijing has started troop and material build-up in depth areas across the 3,488-km LAC. India has found that China has deployed troops, artillery and armour in three sectors of the LAC -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/from-priyanka-gandhi-vadra-to-manmohan-singh-these-are-the-stated-views-of-congress-working-committee-members-on-sonia-gandhis-resignation/slidelist/77713740.cms">From Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Manmohan Singh, these are the stated views of Congress Working Committee members on Sonia Gandhi's resignation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/congress-working-committee-cwc-meeting-updates-decision-on-congress-new-president-sonia-gandhi-or-rahul-gandhi/articleshow/77717675.cms">Sonia Gandhi offers to quit, Manmohan Singh holds her back and Rahul Gandhi questions party leaders — the CWC meeting reveals the cracks in Congress</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/cognizant-says-it-will-spend-2-7-crore-to-restore-sebakkam-lake-and-help-natural-marshland-pallikaranai-wetland/articleshow/77716094.cms">Cognizant says it will spend ₹2.7 crore to restore one of India's last natural marshlands in Chennai</a>

Military options on the table if India-China talks fail says Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat

Even in this age of jet travel and space tourism, highways hold an irresistible charm for travellers out to have an up, close and personal experience of the wide roads stretching ahead for miles, uninterrupted views of a breathtaking landscape, the occasional flyways and the not-so-familiar villages and towns rushing by. It’s even better than chugging along the countryside in a train. You can stop any time you want – to sample some chatpati chaat and a steaming cuppa of chai at a roadside dhaba; to talk to people; to take a dekko at local interests or simply laze an hour or two in shine or rain with the greens around you and the fresh smell of soil floating in the air. 
 
Now that our <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Chugging-Up-7-Mesmerising-Mountain-Train-RidesIn-India/articleshow/24288850.cms">train series</a> is over (but we promise to bring you more as soon as new and exotic routes come up), we are back with a more exciting roadmap of <keyword id="168020" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="expressways">expressways</keyword> that criss-cross the entire country, connecting the four metros and many of the Tier I cities, and going much beyond the urban landscape. Infrastructure development in India has undergone a sea change over the past few years and the country currently boasts the <keyword id="2034191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Second-largest-road-network">second largest road network</keyword> in the world, with a road length of over 4,689,842 km, as per 2013 data from the <keyword id="6404450" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Road-Transport-and-Highways">Ministry of Road Transport and Highways</keyword>. 
 Starting from FY2012-13, the <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword> will be also putting $17 billion over the next five years, being sourced through public-private partnership (<keyword id="6361580" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="PPP">PPP</keyword>) road projects. This will be used by the <keyword id="87432" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Highways-Authority-of-India">National Highways Authority of India</keyword> (<keyword id="49448" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="nhai">NHAI</keyword>) for the planned series of <keyword id="174913" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="BOT">BOT</keyword> (build, operate and transfer) highways. In spite of several bottlenecks, the NHAI has set up impressive targets and aims to develop 20 km/day, in a bid to fast-track the country’s <keyword id="2034194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Road-network-expansion">road network expansion</keyword>. 
 As of July 2013, <keyword id="6373156" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Highways">national highways</keyword> account for 79,116 km, connecting all major cities and state capitals. Expressways, however, differ a bit in the sense they are controlled-access highways like the <keyword id="610047" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="freeways">freeways</keyword> or <keyword id="1333990" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="motorways">motorways</keyword> or autobahnen in the US and Europe, essentially designed for high-speed traffic. As of now, most of the expressways in India are 6-8 lane <keyword id="120837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="toll-roads">toll roads</keyword> and cover a total distance of nearly 1,208.19 km. India expects to add another 3,530 km of expressways by 2014 as projects under construction get completed. Another massive programme is also under way to expand the network and the Indian government plans to add an additional 18,637 km of expressways by 2022. 
 So are you ready to emerge on another breath-taking <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> with us, literally a journey of thousand miles and more? We will bring you the super expressways zone-wise – so that you know which route to choose when travelling North or South, East or West. And it will be a beautiful journey as art and cultural critic <keyword id="2034192" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dave-Hickey">Dave Hickey</keyword> so rightly said – Beauty is and always will be blue skies and open highway. 
 
Image: Wikimedia Commons

8 Super Expressways
In North India That Fulfil Your Need For Speed

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Relations between the US and <keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and between <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> and <keyword id="11893449" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword> are growing closer.</li><li>India and Pakistan are looking to boost their military capabilities, while the US and China are looking for support of their regional and global ambitions.</li></ul>In the final months of 2021, Pakistan <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/11/pakistan-navy-commissions-1st-type-054-a-p-frigate-pns-tughril/" target="_top">commissioned</a> the first of four Chinese-built Tughril-class frigates and <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2022/01/03/pakistan-confirms-chinese-firebird-fighter-acquisition/" target="_top">confirmed</a> its intentions to buy 25 of China's <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/j-10/" target="_top">J-10C</a> fighter jets.Those are only the latest high-profile defense projects between Beijing and Islamabad, and they are emblematic of the growing relations between two countries with a common goal: countering the threat they see in India.At the same time, India has increasingly turned to the US to meet its defense needs. The US has become a large supplier of arms to India over the past decade, and the two countries have deepened <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_top">their defense cooperation</a> as well.The moves add another geopolitical layer to what was already one of the world's most intense rivalries.<h2>Old rivals seek new friends</h2><div type="image" title="Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Chinese J-10C jet" height="683" width="1024" msid="90400022" hostid="261"></div>Before China became Pakistan's chief arms supplier in the 1990s, Islamabad relied on the US for higher-end defense equipment and assistance — a partnership borne out of cooperation to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan in the 1980s.China and Pakistan's military relationship dates to the 1960s, but in recent years, the Pakistani military's hardware has increasingly come from China or through joint Pakistani-Chinese ventures.Virtually all of <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/11/19/pakistan-resumes-armor-modernization-as-terror-threat-recedes/" target="_top">Pakistan's main battle tanks</a> are exported Chinese models or variants of Chinese tanks developed in Pakistan, like the <a href="https://www.army-technology.com/projects/alzarrarmianbattleta/" target="_top">Al-Zarrar</a>. Pakistan has fielded upgraded variants of the <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/pakistan_pakistani_army_tanks_heavy_armoured_uk/al_khalid_al-khalid_main_battle_tank_technical_data_pictures.html" target="_top">Al-Khalid</a> tank, developed jointly with a Chinese firm and in production since 2001, and <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/pakistan-army-holds-induction-ceremony-for-vt4-mbt" target="_top">begun acquiring</a> Chinese-made <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/china_chinese_heavy_armoured_vehicle_tank_uk/vt4_mbt-3000_norinco_mbt_main_battle_tank_data_pictures_video.html" target="_top">VT-4</a> tanks.The workhorse of Pakistan's Air Force is the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/fc1xiaolongjf17thund/" target="_top">JF-17</a>, a fighter developed jointly with China and meant to replace Pakistan's aging Chinese-made J-7s. The PAF also <a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/satellite-image-reveals-chinese-predator-drones-armed-with-hellfire-type-missiles-stationed-at-pakistani-airbase/" target="_top">operates</a> a number of Chinese-made drones capable of strike missions.As the PAF's use of its US-made F-16s is <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2019-12-11/state-department-reprimanded-pakistan-in-august-for-misusing-f-16s-document-shows" target="_top">limited</a> by the terms of their sale, buying J-10Cs may be an attempt to substitute or even replace the American fighter with one Pakistan can actually use against India.<div type="image" title="Pakistan Zulfiqar-class frigate Shamsheer" height="1337" width="2000" msid="90400023" hostid="261"></div>At sea, three of the Pakistani navy's four <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/sword-f22p/" target="_top">Zulfiquar-class</a> frigates were built in China like the Tughril-class frigates, the fourth of which was <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/12/chinese-shipyard-launches-two-type-054-frigates-and-one-type-071e-lpd/" target="_top">launched</a> in December.China is also helping Pakistan <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/12/pakistan-cuts-steel-for-5th-hangor-class-submarine-pns-tasnim/" target="_top">build</a> eight Hangor-class submarines — a variant of China's <a href="https://news.usni.org/2015/08/31/essay-inside-the-design-of-chinas-yuan-class-submarine" target="_top">Type 039A</a> diesel-electric sub — splitting production between Chinese and Pakistani shipyards. They are expected to be delivered between 2022 and 2028 and will <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/10/pakistans-new-chinese-aip-submarines-image-shows-karachi-site/" target="_top">double</a> the size of Pakistan's submarine fleet.The defense relationship <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-and-Pakistan-ink-military-MOU-to-counter-US-India-pact" target="_top">goes beyond</a> weapons sales. China and Pakistan <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1646630" target="_top">regularly</a> conduct <a href="https://cscr.pk/explore/themes/defense-security/importance-of-shaheen-exercises-for-pakistan-air-force-and-indian-concerns/" target="_top">joint</a> and multinational <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_chinas-warships-hold-joint-naval-drill-pakistan/6182310.html" target="_top">military exercises</a>. Officials from both countries speak of their relationship in glowing terms, describing it as <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Pakistan-China-and-terrorism" target="_top">"close as lips and teeth"</a> and <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/10161516/China-Pakistan-friendship-sweeter-than-honey-says-Nawaz-Sharif.html" target="_top">"sweeter than honey."</a>As its two fiercest rivals have deepened their defense ties, India has deepened its own military partnerships, in particular with Russia, which has for decades supplied India with advanced hardware.The US has historically been reluctant to sell arms to India because of New Delhi's ties with Moscow and fears that those weapons may be used in a war in <keyword id="11893424" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-asia" source="Orion">South Asia</keyword>. But in recent years India has increased its purchases of defense equipment from the US and other Western countries.<div type="image" title="India Australia US Navy P-8" height="1125" width="1500" msid="90400024" hostid="261"></div>Since the signing of the <a href="http://library.rumsfeld.com/doclib/sp/3211/2005-06-28%20New%20Framework%20for%20the%20US-India%20Defense%20Relationship.pdf" target="_top">New Framework for the US-India Defense Relationship</a> in 2005, India has purchased <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/c-130j-super-hercules-lands-on-national-highway-heres-a-look-at-past-landings-on-expressways/730942/" target="_top">dozens</a> of US-made <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/india-takes-delivery-of-11th-c-17-globemaster-from-united-states/" target="_top">cargo</a> aircraft and <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-gets-final-batch-of-apache-attack-helicopters-amid-ongoing-standoff-with-china/articleshow/76896252.cms" target="_top">attack</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZXNXX1aS08" target="_top">transport</a> helicopters — including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-aircraft-boost-india-efforts-to-counter-china-at-sea-2021-7" target="_top">MH-60R Seahawk</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_top">P-8I maritime patrol planes</a>, both of which are important for Indian efforts to keep an eye on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-himalayan-clash-india-prepares-navy-to-take-on-china-2021-6" target="_top">increasing Chinese activity</a> in the <keyword id="13267637" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="indian-ocean" source="Orion">Indian Ocean</keyword>.The F/A-18, the F-15EX, and the F-21 (an F-16 variant made just for India by Lockheed Martin) are all <a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/indias-20b-multi-role-fighter-aircraft-mrfa-contract-junk-us-fighters/" target="_top">in the running</a> to fill an Indian order for 114 new fighter jets. The F/A-18 is also <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/india-closing-fa-18-super-hornet-its-carrier-fighter-200384" target="_top">a contender</a> to be used aboard India's first domestically built aircraft carrier, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-first-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-ins-vikrant-sea-trails-7714755/" target="_top">INS Vikrant</a>.The US has also sold India lethal weaponry such as <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-mk-54-lightweight-torpedoes-0" target="_top">torpedos</a>, anti-ship <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-agm-84l-harpoon-air-launched-block-ii-missiles" target="_top">missiles</a>, <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-mk-45-gun-system" target="_top">naval guns</a>, an anti-aircraft <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-integrated-air-defense-weapon-system-iadws-and-related-equipment" target="_top">system</a>, <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/army-to-get-firepower-boost-in-mountains-with-more-m777-guns-101636896249075.html" target="_top">M777 howitzers</a>, and 144,000 US-made <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/indian-army-to-order-second-batch-of-72000-sig-716-assault-rifles-from-us/459438/" target="_top">SIG716</a> rifles.India's military participates in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-indian-soldiers-yudh-abhyas-exercise-alaska-amid-china-tension-2021-12" target="_top">land</a> and <a href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2021-10-14/quad-malabar-naval-drills-india-us-australia-japan-3237200.html" target="_top">naval</a> exercises with the US, and the two sides have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_top">expanded their intelligence-sharing</a> amid tensions along India's disputed border with China.<h2>Geopolitical realities</h2><div type="image" title="India China border guards" height="1648" width="2464" msid="90400025" hostid="261"></div>The developments in the China-Pakistan and US-India relationships reflect the geopolitical realities in South Asia and across the Asia-Pacific region.India and Pakistan have looked to the US and to China to boost their military capabilities, while the US and China are looking to India and Pakistan to support their regional and global ambitions.Pakistan's <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/the-implications-of-deepening-economic-ties-between-pakistan-china-/6443711.html" target="_top">reliance on China</a>, in particular Chinese investment in the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/china-pakistan-economic-corridor-hard-reality-greets-bris-signature-initiative" target="_top">China-Pakistan Economic Corridor</a>, will only increase in the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The withdrawal is also likely to reduce the US's commitment to Pakistan, as they are aligned on few other issues."The China-Pakistan relationship is deeper because China's goals are more aligned with what Pakistan wants, which is the ability to counter its main rival, India," Timothy Heath, a senior <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation think tank, told Insider.<div type="image" title="Pakistan Gwadar port China Kashgar trade" height="1331" width="2000" msid="90400027" hostid="261"></div>"China hopes to keep a strong, relatively well-equipped and well-armed Pakistan as a partner, because from Beijing's perspective, that helps keep a potential rival — namely India — distracted and unable to cause more problems for China," Heath added.Some in Pakistan <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/opinion/pakistan-united-states-china.html" target="_top">are wary</a> of going all-in on China and may seek rapprochement with the US, particularly if China grows reluctant to invest further in Pakistan's struggling economy. Beijing has also stopped short of making a military commitment to Pakistan — largely because it fears getting dragged into a full-blown conflict between Pakistan and India."They have a good deal where they use Pakistan to box in India and they stay outside and allow those two to bleed each other and beat each other up a little bit," Heath said.While Beijing wants to avoid "extreme escalations," Heath said, "tensions of a low simmering type are useful for China."For India, the US has emerged as a prime partner as Delhi grows more concerned with Chinese ambitions and the potential for conflict along its borders with both China and Pakistan.<div type="image" title="India Pakistan MiG-21 missiles" height="1331" width="2000" msid="90400028" hostid="261"></div>The US-India relationship is "primarily driven by a strategic convergence," said Rahul Bhatia, a research analyst at Carnegie India."New Delhi and Washington essentially want multipolarity in the Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order, which very loosely translates to containing China," Bhatia said, adding that "they need each other for that."But despite a deepening defense relationship, India doesn't seek a full-fledged alliance with the US for a variety of political and economic reasons."When the US wants to sell a country arms, they are looking at building up a strategic partnership and interoperability. What India looks at when it's buying arms is building its own defense industrial base and the transfer of technology," Bhatia said.Moreover, India does not want to break from its traditional stance of non-alignment."They want to maintain their strategic autonomy," Heath said. "That's a very deeply rooted tradition vigorously alive in India today."

The US and China are picking sides in one of the world's most dangerous rivalries

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> have both invested in their armored forces since the 1962 war on their disputed border in the <keyword id="52569" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="himalayas">Himalayas</keyword>.</li><li>The armor that both sides fielded during another recent period of heightened tension on that border show that a future war could be more destructive.</li></ul>Two months ago, the Indian and Chinese militaries <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56147309" target="_top">pulled back</a> their forces stationed around Pangong Lake, on their disputed border in the western Himalaya mountains.The pullback, described as a "disengagement" by India's Defense Ministry, was meant to be a first step to ease tensions on the disputed border - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-photos-show-border-buildup-after-deadly-china-india-clash-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swaths of which have been heavily militarized</a> since 20 Indian and at least <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-acknowledges-deaths-in-indian-border-clash-for-first-time-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four Chinese soldiers died</a> in a medieval-style brawl in the nearby Galwan River Valley almost a year ago.<div type="image" title="India China troops soldiers Pangong Ladakh border" height="720" width="960" msid="82407120" hostid="261"></div>The Indian Army <a href="https://twitter.com/ShivAroor/status/1361600793678241794" target="_top">released</a> photos, videos, and <a href="https://twitter.com/ShivAroor/status/1362660165208530945" target="_top">aerial images</a> of the pullback, showing Chinese troops dismantling bunkers, removing tents, and evacuating the area.The most interesting images, though, were the ones that showed the large number of <keyword id="71883" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tanks">tanks</keyword> and <keyword id="3160282" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="armored-vehicles">armored vehicles</keyword>. Indian media <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/china-surprises-india-with-pace-of-withdrawal-pulls-out-200-tanks-in-2-days-101613088444899.html" target="_top">reported</a> that China alone withdrew 200 tanks from the area.The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-border-dispute-tensions-how-china-and-india-militaries-compare-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sheer sizes of the armored forces indicates</a> that both sides were quite serious about their military buildups, and that the next violent incident on the border <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-general-warns-china-border-dispute-could-escalate-to-war-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could escalate into something far more deadly</a>.<h2>Armor in the Himalayas</h2><div type="image" title="Indian military trucks in Ladakh" height="1333" width="2000" msid="82407121" hostid="261"></div>In general, large-scale armor deployments in mountainous and high-altitude regions are rare, especially in the Himalayas.The low air pressure, freezing conditions, and rough terrain make operating and maintaining such vehicles difficult and often lead to losses from wear and tear or mechanical failure.Tanks and armored vehicles have to be restarted for up to 30 minutes every two or three hours to prevent them from freezing, <a href="https://thewire.in/security/india-china-pullback-pangong-tso-winter" target="_top">according to one retired Indian general</a>.That operational challenge is believed to have been a significant factor in both countries' decisions to pull back their armor from Pangong Tso.<div type="image" title="India China troops soldiers Pangong Ladakh border" height="1333" width="2000" msid="82407122" hostid="261"></div>"These operational issues simply cannot be ignored either by Beijing or Delhi for a variety of operational reasons that are common to both forces," a high-ranking Indian Army officer <a href="https://thewire.in/security/india-china-pullback-pangong-tso-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Wire</a>.That is also the reason armor - and aircraft, for that matter - played a very limited role in the <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Lessons_of_History_The_Chinese_Peopl/BLUtKP-JpgsC?hl=en&amp;gbpv=0pv=0" target="_top">month-long war</a> India and China fought in the region in 1962. During that war, India <a href="https://swarajyamag.com/defence/when-india-airlifted-tanks-to-ladakh-to-halt-the-invading-chinese-army" target="_top">airlifted</a> six AMX-13 light tanks to an area just south of Pangong Tso, but the feat was extremely difficult, and there were no large-scale tank battles.The 1962 war itself was an embarrassment for India, which had over 8,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing and lost the territory Aksai Chin to China. China lost 722 soldiers killed and 1,697 wounded.<h2>Modern tank forces</h2><div type="image" title="India army Arjun tank beach Chennai" height="1333" width="2000" msid="82407123" hostid="261"></div>Both India and China set about building up their militaries after the 1962 war.Today, India's tank force is made up primarily of three models. Two of them, the <a href="https://guardingindia.com/china/exclusive-why-are-the-indian-army-trusting-t-72-ajeya-tanks-for-lac/" target="_top">T-72 "Ajeya"</a> and <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-indias-t-90m-bhishma-tank-russian-tech-indian-made-136987" target="_top">T-90 "Bhishma"</a> main battle tanks (MBTs), are built in India using Russian designs. The third, the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-the-arjun-main-battle-tank-mk-1a-7188226/" target="_top">Arjun</a>, is of Indian design.The Russian tanks, designed to operate in the cold, make up most of India's fleet of about 4,000 tanks. The Arjun has had a <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-indias-army-hates-its-homemade-arjun-tank-119911" target="_top">troubled rollout</a>, and only 124 are in service.China's People's Liberation Army, or PLA, maintains a large number of legacy models from the Cold War, like the Type 59, Type 69, and Type 80/88 tanks, but China's tank force is centered on three modern models: the <a href="https://21stcenturyasianarmsrace.com/2017/12/20/the-pla-loves-its-thousands-of-type-96-tanks/" target="_top">Type 96</a> and <a href="http://www.military-today.com/tanks/type_99.htm" target="_top">Type 99</a> MBTs, and the new <a href="http://www.military-today.com/tanks/ztq_15.htm" target="_top">Type 15</a>.While the Type 96 and Type 99 are MBTs, the Type 15 is one of the few light tanks developed this century.<div type="image" title="China army type 99 tank Army Games Russia" height="1334" width="2000" msid="82407126" hostid="261"></div>The Type 96 and Type 99 weigh about 42 tons and 54 tons, respectively, and are armed with 125 mm guns, whereas the Type 15 weighs just 35 tons and has a 105 mm gun.By comparison, India's T-72, T-90, and Arjun tanks weigh about 41 tons, 46 tons, and 68 tons, respectively. The T-72 and T-90 are armed with 125 mm guns and the Arjun with a 120 mm.Despite being smaller and under-gunned, the Type 15 is far more capable in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas than its Indian counterparts.The Type 15 is just one of the PLA's <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1190083.shtml" target="_top">numerous new weapon systems</a> designed with mountain operations in mind, and China has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93-FeziqiLA" target="_top">shown </a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93-FeziqiLA" target="_top">it</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93-FeziqiLA" target="_top"> off in a number of live-fire drills</a> in Tibet.Both the PLA's Xinjiang and Tibet military commands have <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202102/1214633.shtml" target="_top">received</a> Type 15s. They have also been deployed to the Sino-Indian border, <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-india-deploys-t-72-t-90-tanks-infantry-combat-vehicles-along-lac-in-eastern-ladakh-2845676" target="_top">as have</a> India's T-72 and T-90s.<h2>At the 'roof of the world'</h2><div type="image" title="India China tanks armor Pangong Ladakh border" height="1332" width="2000" msid="82407127" hostid="261"></div>The <a href="https://twitter.com/ShivAroor/status/1361600793678241794" target="_top">images</a> and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF9ZfCggVOM" target="_top">video</a> released by the Indian military appear to indicate that the pullout around Pangong Tso was a coordinated event in which tanks were purposely shown to withdraw one at a time.Indian T-72 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShivAroor/status/1361614678284140544/photo/1" target="_top">can be seen</a> on the Indian side of the border, as can a number of small fighting positions and foxholes.The Chinese armored force that can be seen is more diverse. A few of the tanks <a href="https://twitter.com/PBNS_India/status/1361612912062730243/photo/2" target="_top">appear</a> to be legacy models, likely Type 80/88s. There <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/dh-galleries/photos/in-pics-indian-chinese-troops-disengage-from-pangong-lake-951782#5" target="_top">also appear</a> to be several modern models, most likely Type 96s or Type 99As.<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/dh-galleries/photos/in-pics-indian-chinese-troops-disengage-from-pangong-lake-951782#6" target="_top">Another image</a> shows at least 12 Chinese <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/china_chinese_light_armored_armoured_vehicle_uk/zbd-04_zbd97_armoured_infantry_fighting_vehicle_technical_data_sheet_specifications_information_uk.html" target="_top">ZBD-04 IFVs</a> and three other armored vehicles, possibly tracked variants of the <a href="http://www.military-today.com/missiles/hq_17.htm" target="_top">HQ-17</a> short-range surface-to-air-missile system, <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/china_artillery_vehicles_and_weapon_systems_uk/pgz-07_twin_35mm_self-propelled_anti-aircraft_gun_data_sheet_specifications_description_pictures.html" target="_top">Type 09</a> self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery units, or a combination of both.It's unclear if the tanks and IFVs were always deployed so close to one another or if they were only brought forward for verification during the disengagement.What is clear is that both sides are far more mechanized, capable, and lethal than they were in 1962.The pullback from Pangong Tso has not been followed by additional pullbacks in other contested areas, as was originally hoped. Recent reporting <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3131031/china-india-border-dispute-was-new-delhis-pull-out-pangong-tso" target="_top">suggests</a> some Indian officials may regret pulling back from a strategically important area with little to show for it.Despite the difficult conditions in a region known as the "roof of the world," flare ups along the border are still a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55793112" target="_top">real possibility</a>.With so much heavy hardware present, future fighting in the area could be much deadlier than before.

Photos of tanks and armored vehicles in the Himalayas show that China and India's next border showdown could be much deadlier

China claims to have successfully tested a secret "reusable" spacecraft amid crisis along the <keyword id="49399" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Actual-Control">Line of Actual Control</keyword> (LAC) with India in Ladakh and confrontation with multiple nations in South China Sea. The Xinhua news agency on Sunday said that the vehicle returned to its "scheduled landing site" following a two-day mission in orbit after it was launched on a <keyword id="1705112" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Long-March-2F-rocket">Long March 2F rocket</keyword> on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert. Beijing claimed that the "successful flight marked the country's important breakthrough in reusable spacecraft research and is expected to offer convenient and low-cost round trip transport for the peaceful use of the space". An astronomer at Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Jonathan McDowell, using his Twitter handle speculated that the landing site may have been Taklamakan desert in northwest China. On Monday, India's DRDO successfully carried out the second test flight of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using the indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. It is a carrier vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles, and will have multiple civilian applications, including the launching of small satellites at low cost. The previous flight in 2019 boosted to altitude on an Agni I first stage from Kalam Island, McDowell said. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77971186" title="India successfully tests its hypersonic missile carrier than can also launch satellites into orbit" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The Chinese mission, which is shrouded in mystery comes at a time when Beijing and New Delhi are locked in a violent face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Last week, the Indian Army captured key ridges on the south bank of the Pangong Tso, in a tit-for-tat move, effectively taking control of all the strategic heights in the area along the LoC in Ladakh. Incidentally, Chinese President Xi Jinping canceled his trip to Pakistan in a last-minute decision. Meanwhile, two Australian journalists facing security threat from the Chinese authorities, were evacuated from China in a diplomatic standoff. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's Mike Smith landed in Sydney on Tuesday. As the US-China relationship has entered a Cold-War like situation, the Xi Jinping regime has deployed PLA Navy, China Coast Guard and maritime militia to claim its sovereignty over South China Sea. Since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic which originated in the Wuhan city of its Hubei province, Beijing has sent fishing boats into the waters adjacent to Indonesia's Natuna Islands and deployed survey vessels into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime has also created two new administrative districts in the disputed islands of the Paracels and Spratlys and carried out missile tests in the disputed area. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/indias-successfully-tested-its-indigenously-developed-hypersonic-technology-demonstrator-vehicle/articleshow/77971186.cms">India successfully tests its hypersonic missile carrier than can also launch satellites into orbit</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-will-no-longer-be-developed-by-tencent-in-india/articleshow/77993013.cms">PUBG Mobile will no longer be developed by Tencent in India but experts say that may not be enough</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/china-accuses-india-of-gunshot-threats-ahead-of-jaishankars-likely-meet-with-beijings-foreign-minister-in-moscow/articleshow/77990856.cms">Indian Army denies China's claims of 'gunshot threats' along the LAC</a>

China secretly tests 'reusable' spacecraft amid border tensions with India

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Disputes between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> over their border in the Himalayas have intensified in recent months, after a deadly clash between their troops in June.</li><li>That adds to broader competition between India and China on land and at sea around Asia, but recent military agreements with the US allow India to watch rival Chinese forces more closely.</li></ul>As tension between India and China has increased in recent months, the US military has helped India keep an eye on Chinese forces, senior US military commanders said in November.A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-troops-unarmed-and-surprised-in-china-clash-families-say-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deadly brawl</a> on India and China's disputed border in the Himalayas in June was their first such clash in decades. Since then both have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-photos-show-border-buildup-after-deadly-china-india-clash-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinforced their positions</a>, and India has had help monitoring Chinese forces."From the real-world standpoint, we've gotten closer this year with India, especially on the <keyword id="656002" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Intelligence-sharing">intelligence sharing</keyword>, particularly related to the situation that's occurring on their northeast border with China," Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, head of US Pacific Air Forces, said at an event in November."We've been doing quite a bit of intelligence sharing, as much as we can, with them to help out our great friend, India," added Wilsbach, who took command in July.<div type="image" title="India troops soldiers Ladakh" height="1333" width="2000" msid="79885495" hostid="261"></div>That sharing likely has been facilitated in recent weeks by the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, a military agreement the US and India signed in late October.BECA "will allow us to expand our partnership and exchange foundational information," Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the US signatory on the deal, said at <a href="https://www.cfr.org/event/conversation-vice-admiral-robert-sharp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a separate event</a> last month.BECA gives India access to topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data and allows the US to provide advanced navigational aids and avionics, a defense industry source <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-asia/india-u-s-set-for-military-pact-on-satellite-data-during-pompeo-visit-idUSKBN27711P" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Reuters</a> ahead of the signing. Geospatial data provided under the deal will give Indian missiles "<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/beca-the-deal-that-will-make-indian-missiles-deadlier-has-finally-been-signed/articleshow/78885862.cms#:~:text=India%20and%20the%20US%20inked,information%20between%20the%20two%20countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a killer edge</a>" in targeting, as one Indian media outlet put it."That exchanging and sharing of foundational information is a good basis to start to operate ... off the same map," Sharp said.<h2>Crossing the hump</h2><div type="image" title="India runway Port Blair Andaman Nicobar Islands" height="903" width="1400" msid="79885496" hostid="261"></div>BECA is the fourth of four foundational agreements. A 2002 deal allowed sharing of classified military information. A 2016 logistics deal allows each military to use the other's facilities for repair or resupply. A third deal in 2018 gave India access to secure communications equipment, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-india-comcasa-deal-improves-ability-to-communicate-and-track-subs-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowing closer coordination</a> with US forces.There have already been demonstrations of cooperation under these deals. US ships have refueled Indian warships, and a US maritime patrol aircraft recently refueled in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the eastern <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword>, which the US government called "<a href="https://www.dla.mil/AboutDLA/News/NewsArticleView/Article/2397837/us-aircraft-inaugural-refueling-in-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a historical event</a>."The agreements are a sign of India softening the strict non-aligned stance it held throughout the Cold War, which is driven in part by recent US overtures and Chinese aggressiveness."These two complimentary forces, I think, are pushing India toward sort of more overt balancing activities and more confidence in establishing a meaningful strategic partnership with the US," said Jeff Smith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation think tank.The shift reflects "a revolution in the way that India views the world and aligns with partners in Asia," Hervé Lemahieu, director of the Power and Diplomacy Program at Australia's Lowy Institute think tank, said in October.India "has chosen to align itself with the United States far more assertively, and with countries like Australia, with whom it doesn't really have much of a traditional relationship," Lemahieu told Insider.Disputed land borders with Pakistan and China are likely to remain the Indian military's major focus, but New Delhi is increasingly active in the Indian Ocean - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-clashes-could-cause-more-indian-ocean-activity-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">where China's military and diplomatic presence is growing</a> - bolstering its own forces as well as its cooperation with others.<div type="image" title="India Navy guided-missile cruiser Princeton destroyer Chennai" height="1333" width="2000" msid="79885506" hostid="261"></div>The meeting where BECA was signed also reportedly included a maritime information-sharing agreement, allowing India to better track activity in the Indian Ocean. India's Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean Region, set up two years ago, now has <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/expanding-outreach-indian-navy-ties-up-with-21-nations-for-maritime-awareness-346490" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21 countries sharing</a> information on maritime activity in the area.Indian foreign aid, meant to counter Chinese lending, also continues to flow despite recent economic headwinds. "That tells you, I think, how important building these relationships are to India in terms of countering China in the region," Rani Mullen, a professor at William and Mary and expert on South Asia, <a href="https://www.hudson.org/events/1901-video-event-partnering-in-the-indo-pacific122020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a recent think-tank event.India is "is deepening its defense diplomacy" and "being more ambitious" with those partnerships, Lemahieu said, but there are still questions about how India will apply the agreements it spent two decades negotiating with the US."We went on for years negotiating over the dots and the T's ... and I guess in some ways it's a good thing that we've crossed that hump," Ashley Tellis, an expert on <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> security at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said at an event in November."Now the question to my mind is, OK, you've done the agreements. What are you going to do about them? How are you actually going to implement them?" Tellis added. "This is where I think India still has a long ways to go."In the weeks since signing BECA, India has leased two US-made MQ-9B surveillance drones to monitor its maritime and land boundaries, an acquisition facilitated by policy <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-arms-trump/u-s-relaxes-rules-to-export-more-aerial-drones-idUSKCN24P2IC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changes</a> in both <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-leases-hi-tech-us-naval-drones-to-boost-surveillance-intel/story-NeW0gNA1HYJ44V3m9C5qAL.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">countries</a>. Those exchanges and others under the foundational agreements will likely inspire more trust, feeding a "virtuous cycle," Smith said."In many cases, India benefits more than the US does from these military cooperation agreements," Smith told Insider. "The practitioners are operationalizing these agreements and realizing that it brings real benefit to India."

The US is helping India keep an eye on China's military, top US commanders say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Indian and Chinese troops came to blows last month in a disputed area along their mutual border in what was the deadliest such clash in more than 40 years.</li><li>The disputed northern border has been a source of tension for decades and will remain so, but growing rifts between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> mean the <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword> will likely grow as an area of competition as well.</li></ul>Clashes in June between India and China high in the western Himalayas saw <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-border-dispute-tensions-how-china-and-india-militaries-compare-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first deadly encounter</a> between their forces there in four decades. Both sides appear to be disengaging, and India's northern border, parts of which are in dispute with Pakistan and China, will remain a point of focus for its military.But India's southern maritime approaches, where increasing Chinese naval activity was already a concern, may gain even more attention from New Delhi in the wake of those clashes."On the military side, I think we have to stay on guard. The situation is very fragile, even tenuous," former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, also former Indian ambassador to China and the US, said at an <a href="https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/events/webcast-crossing-precipice-india-china-border-clash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asia Society Policy Institute event</a> this week."Diplomatically, [India has to] keep our channels open with China, but at the same time, obviously, seek possibilities of closer convergence with friends and partners in the Indo-Pacific."China is "clearly seeking to improve strategic advantage for itself through naval outreach and construction of ports and facilities," in that region, Rao added. "We know that, and all these [facilities] have clear military potential. So we need to leverage our assets, in the Indian Ocean region particularly, better."<h2>Wary of China's active navy</h2><div type="image" title="India navy ship vessel Philippines" height="3262" width="4919" msid="76902499" hostid="261"></div>Like other countries, India has watched Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean warily, especially since a 2014 visit by Chinese submarines to Sri Lanka, where <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beijing's growing influence</a> has concerned India and others.India's navy said in 2015 that it overlooks "strategic sea lanes" that link the country's "security and prosperity inextricably to the seas." The recent reorientation <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-simmering-tension-with-china-india-is-increasing-naval-strength-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been called</a> "a tectonic shift in India's security calculus."India has long sought to retain independence in <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> affairs, but increasingly contentious relations with China have affected that thinking.A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-between-china-and-india-continue-year-after-doklam-standoff-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">73-day standoff</a> between China and India in Doklam, a disputed area in the eastern Himalayas, in summer 2017 "clarified for India that signing, for example, some information-sharing agreements with the US could actually benefit India," Tanvi Madan, an expert on India at the Brookings Institution, said <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2020/06/podcast-india-china-us-triangle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on a recent episode</a> of the New Statesman's World Review podcast."India during Doklam saw the benefits of some of the capabilities that it had acquired from the US — the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, which flew right up to the India-China boundary for reconnaissance during that [standoff]," Madan said. "So you see then a decision, for example, to buy more of those."<div type="image" title="India navy Boeing P-8I Neptune anti-submarine maritime aircraft" height="521" width="1000" msid="76902501" hostid="261"></div>Since Doklam, those <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">P-8I aircraft</a> have been more active in the Indian Ocean, where the Indian navy <a href="https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/will-the-india-china-border-conflict-lead-to-a-naval-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is working</a> to increase its capabilities and to keep an eye on Chinese warships.Indian officials have previously announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-is-beefing-up-its-navy-to-counter-chinas-powerful-fleet-2018-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intentions to dramatically expand</a> its navy, and this month, New Delhi said it would buy <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/07/06/india-accelerates-weapons-purchases-in-wake-of-border-clash-with-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$5.5 billion</a> in weaponry. Much of it is for the army and air force, reflecting continued emphasis on the land border, but navy projects include spare parts for Kilo-class submarines and other Russian-built warships.In the wake of Doklam, India also signed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-boosts-maritime-reach-with-seychelles-pact-to-build-naval-facilities-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 20-year pact</a> with the Seychelles to build naval infrastructure there. In late 2018, India and the US signed a communications agreement <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-india-comcasa-deal-improves-ability-to-communicate-and-track-subs-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowing closer coordination</a> of military operations such as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-and-india-practiced-hunting-subs-in-the-indian-ocean-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracking subs</a>.India has been <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/india-japan-to-ink-pact-to-share-military-logistics-781355.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks</a> with Japan on a military mutual logistics support deal, which New Delhi already <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/india-australia-sign-deal-military-bases-200604083007978.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed to</a> with Australia and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lemoa-already-fully-operational/article24904359.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with the US</a>."India's maritime enthusiasm and the Indo-Pacific approach is fairly recent. Many of these partnerships and engagements are foundational, but due to the absence of an active maritime-focused policies in the last decades, these agreements/partnerships are important," Darshana​ Baruah, an expert on the Indian Ocean at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said in an email.<h2>Using maritime leverage</h2><div type="image" title="India runway Port Blair Andaman Nicobar Islands" height="903" width="1400" msid="76902503" hostid="261"></div>The weeks since the clashes in Ladakh have seen more calls for India to put that navy to use.At the end of June, Sujan Chinoy, a former Indian diplomat, <a href="https://idsa.in/policybrief/strategic-potential-andaman-nicobar-sujanchinoy-260620" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommended</a> "opening up" the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-navy-set-to-open-third-base-in-strategic-islands-to-counter-china-2019-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andaman and Nicobar Islands</a> in the Bay of Bengal to "friendly navies," incluing the US, Japan, and Australia, "to promote greater naval cooperation."India's chief of naval staff, Adm. Karambir Singh, <a href="https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/india-china-geostrategy-indian-ocean-region-strait-of-malacca-indian-and-chinese-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has said</a> the navy told the government it could act in the Malacca Straits, which connect the Indian and Pacific oceans, in response to tension on the northern border. And this month, a former chief of naval staff, retired Adm. Arun Prakash, <a href="https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/india-china-navy-maritime-strategy-conflict-indian-ocean-south-china-sea-trade-choke-points" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> using that "maritime leverage" to add "weight to India's negotiating position."India has also engaged more with partners, which it has been historically cautious about doing. In June, India <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-take-a-call-on-australias-inclusion-in-malabar-exercises-with-japan-us/article32034664.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said it was open</a> to Australia joining this year's Malabar naval exercises as an observer, something New Delhi has hesitated to do for years.Recent tensions "will likely underscore to strategists in New Delhi and Beijing that they should be prepared for sustained competition across domains, and that India cannot take for granted its partnerships in the region," Joshua White, a professor of South Asia Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said in an email.<div type="image" title="US Navy aircraft carrier Indian Ocean Malabar" height="714" width="1000" msid="76902505" hostid="261"></div>"The decision to use India's advantage at sea is completely political and will depend on Delhi's political appetite," Baruah said. "There most certainly is an advantage and a role to be played, which can be maximized in collaboration with India's Indo-Pacific partners."Logistics exchanges and the use of Indian Ocean islands are just a few potential areas of collaboration, and India is likely to pursue a combination of them, Baruah said. Partnering with the US and others in the region offers "options to maximise some of [India's] advantage in the maritime domain."India has long valued strategic autonomy, and while it's likely to seek to retain some of that freedom, there's reason to think it will work more closely with an international coalition to counter an increasingly aggressive China, <a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-india-border-conflict-strategic-shift-by-shashi-tharoor-2020-07" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Shashi Tharoor, a former Indian minister of state for external affairs.Baruah expected an increase in maritime cooperation either way."What I hope is that [the] Ladakh issue has highlighted the maritime option available to India," Baruah said. "I hope this provides a chance to raise the urgency to clear some of the bureaucratic challenges in recognizing the role of the navy and maritime partnerships in India's strategic and security interests."

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