China gets gear for all- weather border security

■ THE REGIONS difficult to enter can be monitored now.

■ BLIND SPOTS to be covered with more surveillance cams.

Beijing, April 9: China’s military is bolstering the management of its border defence by developing new types of equipment including a satellite early warning system that can be used to monitor the border areas in all environments, according to official media reports.

A satellite early- warning monitoring system is planned in some border areas that are in dispute or are difficult to enter and patrol, state- run Beijing Evening News reported on Sunday. A surveillance camera network has also been built in border zones and the density of coverage is set to increase to cover blind spots, the report said but did not mention which, or if all, of China’s border regions are covered. The Line of Actual Control ( LAC) between India and China covered 3,488 km which included Arunachal Pradesh, claimed by China as part of southern Tibet.

The informatisation and mechanisation of equipment, vehicles and monitoring methods of People's Liberation Army ( PLA) border defence will give an early- warning of any risks to security as well as overcoming previous blind spots, Song Zhongping, a military expert was quoted as saying by the Global Times.

The PLA has to increase the level of automation of its equipment, Song noted. This will include using drones and tracking vehicles to conduct patrols and setting up unmanned monitoring systems, which means border regions will come under continuous monitoring and control.

To cater to various geographic environments along China’s long borders, the PLA has developed equipment that can be used in water, in the air or on land, Song said.

While reporting about the new border monitoring system, the Global Times mentioned Pangong Lake in Ladakh, where skirmishes took place between Indian and Chinese troops after border guards foiled an attempt by Chinese soldiers to enter Indian territory in August last year.

The PLA deployed a new patrol boat there which is made of non- metallic materials, the report said.