The Western Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been conducting combat training with high-altitude logistics exercises at 5,300 meters above sea level. 

Videos doing the rounds on social media showed PLA's drills focus on delivering ammunition, provisions, and other materials to combat units using advanced technologies, including drones, robotic dogs, robotic platforms, exoskeleton-equipped personnel, carts, and all-terrain vehicles.

The exercises highlight China's continued military focus along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India. The latest round of exercises come weeks after China's PLA Western Command tested the Dongfeng EQ2050, a HUMVEE-inspired vehicle equipped with a 16-barrel rotating rocket launcher.

Earlier, in December, the United States Department of Defense, in its annual report on China's military capabilities, revealed that the PLA has not scaled down its troop presence along the LAC since the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash. The report highlighted that the PLA remains focused on "dissuading, deterring, or defeating" third-party intervention in the Indo-Pacific region.

"Despite disengagement in certain areas, China continues to maintain over 120,000 troops, along with tanks, howitzers, surface-to-air missiles, and other heavy weaponry, across the 3,488-km-long LAC," the report stated.

This includes more than 20 combined arms brigades (CABs) stationed in forward locations and training areas across the western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal), and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) sectors. The Pentagon report noted that the PLA Western Theatre Command's primary focus remains on securing its frontier with India.

China's military modernization

Beyond its border with India, the Pentagon report emphasized China's broader military ambitions. The PLA is rapidly expanding its global power projection capabilities, despite domestic challenges like a shrinking economy and corruption scandals.

China's nuclear stockpile now exceeds 600 operational warheads, with projections to reach over 1,000 by 2035. The PLA is developing a range of nuclear systems, from low-yield precision strike missiles to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with multi-megaton yields.

China continues to develop weapons to contest or deny access to space, including anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital satellites, electronic warfare tools, and directed energy systems like lasers.

The PLA Navy is now the world’s largest, boasting over 370 ships and submarines, including more than 140 major surface combatants. 

The US report also noted China's increasing reliance on military coercion and inducements to achieve strategic goals.

India-China corder dynamics

The LAC remains a flashpoint, with disputes over border demarcations fueling multiple clashes, force buildups, and military infrastructure construction. While troop disengagement has occurred in areas like Depsang and Demchok, the bulk of PLA forces remain deployed.

Indian defence analysts warn that China's sustained presence and enhanced capabilities near the LAC reflect a broader strategy to assert dominance in the region.