China appears to have added new structures near the site of a deadly border clash with India in the western Himalayas, fresh satellite pictures show, heightening concerns about further flare-ups between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Indian and Chinese military commanders agreed on Monday to step back from a weeks-old stand-off at several locations along their disputed border following the 15 June clash in the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
The satellite images showing new construction activity in the week following the brutal hand-to-hand combat underline the challenge of disengagement and the risk the accord could still fall apart because of overlapping claims in the arid territory.
The pictures shot on Monday by US-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies show what appear to be extensive Chinese structures on a raised river terrace overlooking the Galwan River.
India says the area where the structures have sprung up are on its side of the poorly defined, undemarcated Line of Actual Control or the de facto border between the two Asian giants.
China says the whole of Galwan valley is its territory and blames Indian troops for triggering the clashes.
The new activity includes camouflaged tents or covered structures against the base of cliff, and a short distance away, a potential new camp under construction with walls or barricades. The camp was not seen in pictures made available to Reuters the previous week.
On the Indian side, defensive barriers can be seen in the latest images which were not visible in pictures taken in May. An Indian forward post appears to be scaled back compared with images a month ago.
The Galwan Valley in India's Ladakh region, at the border with China, where a deadly clash recently took place. Source: Planet Labs
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the apparent activity.
India's defence ministry also did not respond to a request for a comment.
After the latest round of talks between military commanders on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the two sides had "agreed to take necessary measures to promote a cooling of the situation".
But they made similar comments after a fist-fight in May that proved to be a warmup for the medieval-style battle at Galwan.
Images taken on Sunday by the US satellite firm Maxar showed trucks and huts at camps on the river at 4,500 metres near the scene of the fighting. It was not clear whose army they were.
The two countries fought a border war in 1962 but this month's fighting was their deadliest encounter in 53 years.
