China has been making efforts to increase the number of Tibetans in the People Liberation’s Army (PLA) by recruiting local militias and guides along the border with India.
Beijing has made it “mandatory” for every Tibetan family to send at least one young male member for recruitment in the PLA, according to a report by the Times of India.
The move to ramp up Tibetan recruitment in PLA has come even as China continues to consolidate its military positions and upgrade its airbases facing India.
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The PLA has been focusing on the Tibetan recruits in areas like the Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The expansion of PLA in areas stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh has come ahead of the 12th round of corps commander-level talks between India and China.
“The stalled troop disengagement at Gogra and Hot Springs may be taken forward. But any resolution of the blocking of Indian patrols by the PLA in the Depsang region is not on the cards as of now,” an official told the Times of India.
The military talks between both countries had been stalled after the 11th round of talks that were held on April 9. However, the talks were resumed and the next military dialogue will be held around early August or late July. The dialogue will be another attempt to de-escalate the 14-month long military confrontation between India and China in Ladakh.
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Meanwhile, China has converted its temporary military structures in Ladakh into permanent ones. More so, it has also upgraded its structures like ammunition dumps, helipads and surface-to-air missile batteries at a frantic pace.
China has also upgraded its major air bases like Hotan, Kashgar, Gargunsa (Ngari Gunsa), Lhasa-Gonggar and Shigatse for additional fighters and bombers. This indicates China’s loose attempts at de-escalation efforts.
There is also the renewed focus on the induction of Tibetans in militias as well as in the Special Tibetan Army Unit (STAU) under the PLA, with concerted drives being conducted in the TAR with an element of coercion.
In another unusual development, PLA recruited over 70 Tibetan students, aged between 17 to 20, from various universities for admission in the military academy in TAR this year, the Economic Times reported.
