A top US General has expressed alarm over China’s infrastructure buildup near Ladakh. He has said that the defence infrastructure being set up by Beijing near its border with India in Ladakh is alarming and the level of activity there is eye-opening. This comes just weeks after it was reported that China was constructing a new and bigger bridge on Pangong Lake.

Visiting US Army Pacific Commanding General Charles A Flynn, called the Chinese build-up near Ladakh a ‘destabilizing and corrosive behaviour’ which is not helpful. Flynn arrived in India on Tuesday and held talks with Army Chief General Manoj Pande.

Speaking to a group of journalists, General Flynn said: “I believe that the activity level is eye-opening. I think some of the infrastructure that is being created in the Western Theatre Command is alarming.”

India and China are locked in years-long conflict in Ladakh, and 15 rounds of talks have been held to sort out the differences and achieve April 2020 status quo ante. However, China appears to be dragging on the issue while it is bolstering its defence infrastructure across the border by building roads, bridges and setting up residential areas.

General Flynn said that he doesn’t have a crystal ball to tell how India and China border stand-off is going to end. He, however said that it is worthy of asking this question and try to get their response as to what are Beijing’s intentions.

The US General said that talks that are underway between India and China are helpful but behavior matters here as well. “Understand what they are saying is one thing but the way they are acting and behaving by the way of build-up is concerning. It should be concerning to every one of us,” he said.