Tag: BORDER

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-Top News China India News

‘75% of disengagement problems sorted out with China’

Jaishankar also underlined how India and China never had an easy relationship in the past.

Highlighting the progress on border talks with China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that 75 per cent of disengagement problems with Beijing are sorted out; however, the two nations “still have some things to do.”

Jaishankar also underlined how India and China never had an easy relationship in the past.

“We did not have an easy relationship in the past. What happened in 2020 was in violation of multiple agreements, the Chinese moved a large number of troops to the Line of Actual Control. We, in response, moved our troops up.. Some progress on border talks with China. 75 per cent of disengagement problems are sorted out. We still have some things to do,” Jaishankar said during his conversation with Ambassador Jean-David Levitte at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy on Thursday.

“If there is a solution to disengagement and there is a return to peace and tranquillity, we can look at other possibilities. That is the immediate issue,” he further added.

Jaishankar said that the two countries had a difficult relationship in the past and spoke about 2020 when the Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Galwan Valley.

He also described the India-China relationship as “complex” and highlighted the long-standing struggle in the trade issues between the two nations and said that the economic relationship with China has been “unfair and imbalanced.”

The EAM said, “It (India-China relations) is a very complex relationship… They had bad periods in history. Both of them are reviving and are rejuvenating in a way… They are the only two countries that have a population of more than a billion. And what happens normally when any country rises is that it has a ripple effect on the neighbourhood. These two countries also have the honour of being each other’s neighbours. So each one’s rise has a ripple impact… So if you take the totality of this, you can understand why I selected a safe expressive word like complex.”

Notably, India and China held the 31st meeting of the WMCC in Beijing on August 29, and the two sides had decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements and protocols.

The two sides had a “frank, constructive and forward-looking” exchange of views on the LAC situation and also agreed to intensify contact through diplomatic and military channels, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Meanwhile, the EAM further said that apart from border issues, the two nations also face difficulties in other sectors, including technology, telecom, and digital.

“I think there are larger issues in respect of India-China. We have a long struggle with the trade issue… The economic relationship with China has been very unfair. It has been very imbalanced that we don’t have market access there. They have much better market access here in India. We have many concerns today in various areas, like technology, telecom, and digital.”

Jaishankar arrived in Switzerland on September 12 after concluding his visit to Germany and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier on Wednesday, Jaishankar met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal greetings to him there. (ANI)

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-Top News Arab News World News

Israel to Open Kerem Shalom Border Crossing for Humanitarian Aid

The Kerem Shalom crossing was used to carry more than 60 per cent of the truckloads going into Gaza before war erupted on October 7…reports Asian Lite News

The Israel government has agreed to open the Kerem Shalom border crossing to help speed up delivery of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

In a statement, the Israel body for civil coordination with Palestinians, COGAT said that the Kerem Shalom would be opened in the next few days.

Colonel Elad Goren , head of the Civil department at COGAT, said that Kerem Shalom would be opened for inspection and would allow the flow of humanitarian aid after inspection by UN agencies.

The Kerem Shalom crossing was used to carry more than 60 per cent of the truckloads going into Gaza before war erupted on October 7.

The aid Chief of the United Nations, Martin Griffiths also told media persons that negotiations were taking place and there were promising signs regarding the same. In a statement from Geneva, Griffiths said, “It would be the first miracle we’ve seen in days and would be a big boost to the logistical process and logistical base for the humanitarian operations.”

He also said that this would increase the flow of trucks to the Gaza strip.

It may be noted that the current aid is reaching Gaza strip only through the Rafah border which has led to the delays in flow of humanitarian aid including food, medicine and fuel.

ALSO READ-LuLu Group sends relief aid to Gaza

READ MORE-Guterres Invokes UN Charter, Formally Refers Gaza to UNSC

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-Top News Europe

Finland Shuts Most Border Checkpoints with Russia, Murmansk on High Alert

The Governor noted that as many as 400 foreigners were waiting to enter Finland from Murmansk on Wednesday, and only 50 of them were let through…reports Asian Lite News

 A high-alert has been sounded and a number of additional measures introduced in Russia’s Murmansk region to ensure the safety of local residents after Finland closed almost all of its border checkpoints, a top official has confirmed.

On Wednesday, the government of Finland announced o close almost all checkpoints on its border with Russia, except the one in the far north adjacent to Russia’s Murmansk region, reports Xinhua news agency.

The decision will remain in force until December 23.

The number of foreign citizens wishing to enter Finland through Murmansk may increase several times as a result of the closure, the region’s Governor Andrey Chibis said on Thursday in a post on Telegram

The Governor noted that as many as 400 foreigners were waiting to enter Finland from Murmansk on Wednesday, and only 50 of them were let through.

The number was expected to further increase.

After closing four checkpoints on the border with Russia last week, the Finnish authorities decided to temporarily close three more checkpoints on the border with Russia, leaving only the northernmost checkpoint “Raja-Jooseppi” operating, citing the deteriorating migration situation.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Finland should have raised its concerns in order to work out a mutually acceptable solution.

She also said that Russian authorities were willing to work with Finnish officials to reach an agreement on the issues.

ALSO READ-Pakistan Eyes BRICS Membership

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-Top News India News West Bengal

Border villagers thank PM for I-Day invitation

They include 21 sarpanches and their spouses from two tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, both bordering China, besides two field officials, report by Ashutosh Kumar

Himachal villagers living near the border with China are both overjoyed and overwhelmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture to invite them as special guests for his Independence Day speech at the historic Red Fort in Delhi.

“We are not the last natives living near the borders. We are the first line of the country’s defence–the Chowkidars. We are really thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who thought of making us part of Independence Day celebrations—India’s most prestigious event at New Delhi’s Red Fort” a sarpanch from Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district said.

Over 75 years after Independence, the Sarpanches from 662 villages on the China border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh covered under the Centre’s Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) have reached Delhi to be part of the national event.

They include 21 sarpanches and their spouses from two tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, both bordering China, besides two field officials.

The Vibrant Villages Programme, first announced in the 2022 Budget as part of the Centre’s policy to upgrade infrastructure in areas along the China border, was launched by Home Minister Amit Shah in the border village of Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh in April 2023.

In Delhi on Monday–one the eve of I-Day function, Pradeep Negi , Sarpanch from Chitkul said “it’s a huge honour for the PRI representatives—who represent  grass-root democracy having been invited to Delhi by Prime Minister Modi to see how India has progressed during these years of Post-Independence’.

“We are tribal and very shy people. We hardly come-out of our areas to be in Delhi or ever been part of such an event. Today, we feel so touched” he said as Negi spoke at a function organised by the ministry of tribal affairs where union minister Arjun Munda was Chief Minister.

One sarpanch from each state and Union territory of Ladakh was invited to speak and share the stories of development of their villages.

Under this centrally sponsored scheme, 2,967 villages in 46 blocks of 19 districts, abutting the country’s northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, have been identified for “comprehensive development”. Of these, about 662 villages have been identified for the first phase of the programme, said an official of the Tribal ministry

Negi drew the attention of the tribal affairs minister towards the  need for strengthening health infrastructure and setting-up good schools in the border village to stop migration of the local communities.

“We are standing as guards at the borders. There is a pressing need for ensuring good schools, facilities like doctors at the health institutions and a good communications network. I also thank ITBP –an organisation that is rendering an excellent service .They are our best friends and guides. They keep updating  locals on the country’s advancements” he said.

Another Sarpanch from Ladakh, whose panchayat includes Galwan valley, conveyed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for making Ladakh as a union territory after which the area has seen a massive development and road infrastructure. Tourism has got a big boost in the area, he said.

Among 21 sarpanches, 13 are women from both districts of Lahaul –Spiti and Kinnaur.

One of them Tashi Dolkar from Lulung Panchayat of Kaza when contacted said “ coming to Delhi for Independence Day function was a life-time experience .I never had even a dream about being part of this great moment and seeing Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red-Fort” ,she said over phone .

The Modi government has been reaching out to villagers in the border areas. Union minister for power R.K. Singh had visited Kinnaur in June this year and interacted with locals in the Vibrant villages at Chitkul, the last village on the international border.

The Union Minister heard the grievances of the local villagers and assured them of initiating action for the development of infrastructure and basic amenities including education, health and a communication network. He also sanctioned a one MW solar power station for Chitkul.

(India Narrative)

ALSO READ-Nation gathers for PM Modi’s address on 77th Independence Day

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-Top News China India News

India-China border talks making progress, says Jaishankar  

In an interaction with mediapersons, the foreign minister said that there has been progress on key tension points between the two countries in the last three years…reports Asian Lite News

Border talks between India and China have not been “halted” and both the countries “have made progress on key tension points in the last three years”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.

In an interaction with mediapersons, the foreign minister said that there has been progress on key tension points between the two countries in the last three years.

He further informed that another meeting on the border talks will be held soon. “India-China border talks not halted, meeting will be held soon,” Jaishankar said.

India and China have time and again faced border disputes and they date back to 1962. The most recent clash was in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brawl in the Galwan Valley. Both countries have been holding several rounds of military-level talks to solve issues in the border regions.

On April 23 this year, the 18th round of India- China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side.

Jaishankar today said that over the last nine years the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has been “significantly enhancing border infrastructure, including in the areas along Northern frontier”.

“Post 2014, when there is big push on border infrastructure, contestation and patroling has increased from the Chinese side,” said Jaishankar.

The foreign minister said that India is in talks with Bhutan for railway connectivity with Assam.

“We are in talks on the Rail link between Bhutan and Assam, Bhutan is very keen to open more points for tourists and it is very good for Assam,” Jaishankar said.

Meanwhile, on talks between Bhutan and China, Jaishankar said, “…they are having negotiations, and 24 rounds have been completed. They will be holding more rounds. We track carefully what affects us. It is for them to determine the pace.”

Speaking on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Jaishankar said, “Kailash Mansarovar – Infrastructure is building up, there is a need for a tunnel there, Border Road Organisation (BRO) is working and planning it. But, there is no signal from China on coming back to the old process”.

Terming the Myanmar Trilateral highway a “big challenge” due to the prevailing law and order situation there Jaishankar said India has to engage with authorities in Myanmar to complete the project and to get access of the Sittwe port.

“The border situation with Myanmar is challenging. Sittwe Port is operational, and we are hopeful to conclude the coastal shipping agreement this year. Myanmar Trilateral highway is a big challenge due to the law and order situation. We are engaging with Myanmar authorities to meet challenges,” Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also criticised the policy of the past to not develop border areas and said Chinese patrolling along the LAC became stronger from around the 2000s as China built roads and bridges along the frontier.

Jaishankar said India could deploy its troops quickly in 2020 following the border row in eastern Ladakh in view of the construction of roads, bridges and tunnels, and wondered what would have happened if the clashes had taken place in 2014.

He said the Modi government has been intensely focusing on the construction of roads, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure along the northern border for use by the military as well as to ensure ease of living for people residing in frontier regions.

“The big effort really in respect of China has been to push our border infrastructure much stronger than what we used to have,” he said.

The projected allocation for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) this year is Rs 14,387 crore as against about Rs 3,782 crore in 2013-14, a four-time increase, the external affairs minister said.

He cited the critical importance of the Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) as well as Umling La pass in the Ladakh sector, adding work has started on a road from Chushul to Demchok in that region.

In Arunachal Pradesh, a 1,800 km-long road will be built at a cost of ₹ 30,000 crore, he added.

“These developments on the ground, in a way, are going to determine the quality of our response to a national security challenge on the northern border,” Mr Jaishankar said.

Rejecting the opposition’s criticism of the government on the eastern Ladakh border row, he said that complexities are involved and both sides are engaged to find solutions.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

“It was said that we will not be able to do anything, talks will not be successful, there will be no progress, disengagement cannot take place. But solutions were found in some of the focal points in the last three years,” he said.

ALSO READ-Tense relations prompt US firms to reduce China imports

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-Top News India News

Peace in border basis for normal India-China ties: Jaishankar

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks at a news conference in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Photo: Arul Louis/IANS)

The two sides have also completed verification of each other’s positions adapter pulling back troops from the friction point…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that peace and tranquillity in the border areas of India and China remain the basis for normal relations.

Speaking at the conference of the Center for Contemporary China Studies (CCCS) on “China’s Foreign Policy and International Relations in the New Era,” Jaishankar said, “Peace and tranquillity in the border areas clearly remain the basis for normal relations. From time to time, this has been mischievously conflated with the sorting out of the boundary question.”

He further said that the truth is that the prerequisite has been and remains one much more modest, and even that was breached in 2020.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar shared the main points and said that India’s search for a more balanced and stable relationship with China takes it across multiple domains and many options. “Given the developments of 2020, they obviously focus on an effective defence of the border. This was notably undertaken even in the midst of Covid,” he added.

Referring to India and China tensions which intensified after the Galwan valley clash, Jaishankar said that establishing a way of life between New Delhi and Beijing after 2020 is not easy. “Yet, it is a task that cannot be set aside. And this can only become sustainable on the basis of three mutuals: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest,” EAM added in a tweet.

The Galwan valley clash has strained the relationship between India and China. Recently, on September 13 completed the disengagement process in the Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area near Patrolling Point-15 in the eastern Ladakh sector, according to government sources.

The two sides have also completed verification of each other’s positions adapter pulling back troops from the friction point.

India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

“Internationally, building deeper relationships and promoting a better understanding of its interests strengthens India. We must prepare to compete more effectively, especially in our immediate periphery,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Calling the tension between India and China, “a period of serious challenge,” Jaishankar tweeted that it will impact the relationship and prospects of the continent. It is the willingness to take a long-term view of their ties that the two countries must display today. The continuation of the current impasse will not benefit either India or China. New normals of posture will inevitably lead to new normals of responses.”

Earlier in the conference, Jaishankar said that in the past seven decades of engagement, India has taken a “bilateral approach to China.” He further added that there are many reasons for this including a sense of Asian solidarity and suspicion of 3rd party interests that emanated from other experiences

“Indeed, Indian policy in the past has exhibited a remarkable degree of self-restraint that led to the expectation that others can have a veto over its choices. That period, however, is now behind us. The ‘new era’ is apparently not just for China,” Jaishankar tweeted. (ANI)

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-Top News USA

‘Vulgar, backward’: Mexican President slams Texas Guv’s immigration order

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks at a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, Dec. 8, 2020. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua/IANS)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued the executive order on Thursday authorising state forces to apprehend migrants and return them to the US-Mexico border.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has described as “vulgar” and “backward” a new immigration order issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

“It is an aberration, we do not agree with it. It is extremely vulgar and has no legal basis,” Xinhua news agency quoted Lopez Obrador as saying on Friday.

Abbott issued the executive order on Thursday authorising state forces to apprehend migrants and return them to the US-Mexico border.

Lopez Obrador said the Governor “is not legally allowed to make that decision” because “it has to do with the US federal government”.

He added that Abbott’s statements and actions are framed within the political campaign for state elections in November.

Photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows the scene of an alleged human smuggling mass casualty event in San Antonio, Texas, the United States. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua/IANS)

“They are looking for sensationalism and yellow journalism, they think that way they will gain sympathy,” the President said.

He also criticised the existence of “anti-migrant campaigns with electoral purposes” in the US, which he described as “immoral” and “politicking”.

Abbott’s authorization followed other decisions he’s made on immigration that have generated controversy between Mexico and the US.

ALSO READ: Megadrought hits biggest US reservoir

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Bangladesh

BSF hands over Bangladeshi national to BGB in goodwill gesture

During the flag meeting of the BSF and Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB), the Bangladeshi national was handed over to the BGB in a goodwill gesture…reports Asian Lite News

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday said that it apprehended one Bangladeshi national, who had illegally crossed the International Border and come into the Indian side at Border Out Post Bamoor in North Dinajpur district in West Bengal.

During the flag meeting of the BSF and Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB), the Bangladeshi national was handed over to the BGB in a goodwill gesture.

The North Bengal Frontiers of BSF said that the apprehended Bangladeshi national was thoroughly questioned by the force and after ascertaining that he crossed the International Border by mistake, he was handed over the BGB.

Recently on April 7, 2022, the BSF apprehended an Indian female tout, who was trying to facilitate illegal entry of a Bangladeshi family of four members, near BoP Ramnagar in Nadia district of West Bengal.

The South Bengal Frontiers of the Force said that the Indian woman tout took a hefty amount from the Bangladeshi family, two women with their spouses and a child, were apprehended by the troopers posted at Ramnagar BoP.

The apprehended family said that they gave money to touts for entering India without a valid visa.

They also said that they wanted to come to India to meet their relatives to seek help in searching for a job for livelihood in India.

There has been a rise in infiltration from the Bangladeshi side in the bordering states in the Northeast.

ALSO READ: Secularism vs Pak-backed communalism in Bangladesh

The Ministry of Home Affairs in December 2021 informed Parliament that a total of 1,787 infiltration attempts were registered in the last three years on the India- Bangladesh border while as many as 128 attempts were made at the Indo- Pakistan border.

Similarly, in the last three years, a total of 133 cases of infiltration occurred on the India-Myanmar border while there was no case of infiltration reported on the India- Sikkim border.

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-Top News China India News

China’s ‘salami-slicing’ technique to alter status-quo along border

Disengagement-process-in-progress-in-south-of-Pangong-Lake

The Civil-Military Integration (CMI) strategy in land and border defence could mean adverse implications for India. For instance, Chinese forces could prevent the development of infrastructure, along with its border, by India, according to Policy Research Group (POREG).

China is using the “salami-slicing” technique to alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in which it tests the other claimants through aggressive actions, then back off when it meets significant resistance, according to a report.

China ‘Land Border Law (LBL)’, adopted in October 2021, came into force on January 1, 2022, amid growing tensions with its neighbours, such as India. The Law is at best seems assertive and provocative. Through LBL, China has asserted that it will “resolutely defend territorial sovereignty and land border”, reported the Policy Research Group (POREG).

The LBL strengthens the ‘Civil-Military Integration (CMI)’ strategy, generating synergy among key Chinese bureaucracies including Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Security, Custom and Immigration Administration, and the Local Governments.

The Law underscored that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Paramilitary People’s Armed Police (PAP), both under the command of the Central Military Commission, will play a central role, including safeguarding land borders, resisting armed invasion, and responding to major contingencies.

Needless to say, the CMI strategy in land and border defence could mean adverse implications for India. For instance, Chinese forces could prevent the development of infrastructure, along with its border, by India, said POREG.

Moreover, the Chinese Communist Party is also pushing Tibetan nomads into villages in border districts, converting key border prefectures, such as Shigatse and Lhoka into Chinese zones in the ‘Tibetan Autonomous Region’s (TAR)’.

China has also undertaken the expansion of border towns in bordering areas of Nepal and Bhutan under the “Salami Slicing” technique. Way back in October 2015, China touted as a success story its new village called Gyalaphug, technically in Bhutan, south of the TAR.

The Party, in an effort to rein in Chinese ‘citizens’ for moving them towards the ‘model villages’ has been carrying out propaganda through the media, added POREG.

A villager in a model Xiaokang BDV claimed, in an article in the ‘Tibet Daily’, that he had received a ‘Border Annual Subsidy’ of Yuan 5,000, in addition to an ecological subsidy of Yuan 8,871.

People’s Liberation Army

The article revealed that it is planned to construct over 62,000 houses to house about 240,000 people under the Tibet BDVs scheme. These houses will have the provision of water, electricity, communication, networks, schools, health and insurance besides roads.

To project a ‘warm’ and ‘close’ cooperation between the border residents, another story was floated (August 2019) on Chinese instant messaging apps and websites, said the Policy Research Group.

The report highlighted border patrols and life in Geru village in Shigatse prefecture sharing ‘bond’ with the local residents being as “deep as the fish and water.” It was shown that, about 100 people from the village conducted regular border patrols on motorcycles to assist border defence forces.

Every Monday, Chinese personnel stationed in Geru organized a ceremony at the border pillar to hoist the Chinese flag and to sing the national anthem.

China, besides, using the tactic of CMI to further tighten its grip on Tibet, would also, exploit local inhabitants to expand its settlements across the LAC supplanting them as settlers under the nomadic cover, so that they go unnoticed as military structures.

The CMI strategy, being used to push through the LBL, is an attempt by the PLA to alter the status quo along the LAC, by placing measures to use border villages in buttressing Beijing’s territorial claims using “salami-slicing” technique. (ANI)

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-Top News China

China upgrades logistics for winter on India border

In order to solve the oxygen deficiency problem, portable oxygenators, oxygen chambers and individual oxygen supply devices are in widespread use for frontline troops…reports Asian Lite News.

Chinese frontline troops at the China-India border are getting prepared in logistics for the upcoming winter, with several new measures and facilities revealed for the first time to improve the living and working condition of officers and soldiers, which have further boosted their morale as well as the capability to patrol and execute tasks in the high-altitude region during harsh weather, Global Times reported.

Observers noted that although large-scale clashes are unlikely to occur in winter, small frictions may happen from time to time. This means that logistics is a key factor for border troops to overcome the winter, and in this area China has big advantages over India, the report said.

“Indian media reported recently that Indian troops are facing challenges in confronting the harsh winter, and the cost to maintain its deployment could be huge, as the government is urged to either build or improve facilities and infrastructure,” the report added.

“Experts said that some of India’s seemingly grandiose moves ahead of winter are more of a bluff, considering inadequate supplies and logistics have long been a problem for their frontline troops,” it added.

The Global Times learned from several border troop commanders in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region that even when mountain roads are cut off by snow and ice, the logistics service of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ensures troops can carry out training and tasks at the border frontline.

New technologies and innovations have been put into practice for border defence. A border regiment commander said that modern detection devices allow Chinese soldiers to observe situations inside military posts. Frontline troops can also collect and manage information with modern command systems.

In order to solve the oxygen deficiency problem, portable oxygenators, oxygen chambers and individual oxygen supply devices are in widespread use for frontline troops.

Barracks on the high-altitude plateau are operated and heated with multiple energy sources such as coal, electricity and solar power.

A border regiment commander told the Global Times on Monday that all outposts are connected to the State Grid and have communication base stations. Ropeways have been set up to transport supplies.

Before winter comes, the regiment took advantage of a “golden period” for infrastructure construction and has “fundamentally” solved the practical problems of living in such an extreme environment. They have even built greenhouses to plant fresh greens, the report said.

A new type of kitchen vehicle with high automation allows troops to enjoy hot food in a region as high as 4,500 metres above sea level with temperature lowering to minus 40 C. Each vehicle can serve a hundred people with four dishes, two staple foods, and a soup.

Soldiers of another regiment garrisoned in a region at an altitude of 4,500 metres have been equipped with new winter clothing such as rechargeable vests, knee protectors and Xingkong (Starry sky)-camouflage coats, the report said.

“With this cold-proof clothing covering from head to toe, I stay warm when I’m on guard duty even on really cold nights,” a border soldier told the Global Times on Monday. He was given a set of new winter clothing including lightweight boots and a down jacket.

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