India’s new airbase on China border is an infrastructure upgrade, not a threat: analysts

India earlier this month inaugurated a high-altitude airbase near its disputed border with China, prompting analysts to suggest the development capped long-term efforts to upgrade infrastructure there rather than posing a threat to Beijing.

According to reports from multiple media outlets, the base, named Mudh-Nyoma Air Force Station, is perched at a height of about 13,700 feet (4,176 metres) and only 30km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control, the de facto boundary separating the two sides.

On November 13, India’s chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, stated that a C-130J transport aircraft had landed at the base, reportedly the Indian air force’s first public acknowledgement of such a landing at Mudh-Nyoma station.

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Despite the airbase’s clear strategic significance, analysts said Beijing was more likely to view it as part of New Delhi’s long-term efforts to upgrade its border infrastructure rather than representing a direct confrontation.

As both sides strive to maintain a peaceful shared border and keep ties cordial, analysts also believe the airbase is unlikely to derail the course of rapprochement, with China still holding a substantial advantage in infrastructure in the area.

He Xianqing, an associate research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in China’s southern Hainan province, said India’s airbase carried significant strategic weight and boosted New Delhi’s “aerial patrol capability” in the disputed region.

He also said it was another step in New Delhi’s broader push to upgrade its border infrastructure and that the airbase would “steadily increase” India’s ability to “carry out aerial patrols and reconnaissance”.

“From a strategic perspective, the harsh geography and climate along the China-India border mean that the level of transport accessibility directly determines a country’s ability to manage the situation on the ground,” he added.

“If one side can build better transport infrastructure that enables all-weather access to these frontier areas, it can effectively maintain a more constant presence, conducting more frequent and stronger patrols.”

Amit Ranjan, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies, suggested that the airbase would not come as a surprise for Beijing, for construction had been under way for years.

“They have been working on this infrastructure for a long time. It’s only coming out publicly now,” Ranjan said. “You simply can’t prepare a base within one day.”

Located on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control, the site of the airbase served as a landing ground in 1962, when the Sino-Indian War erupted over a border dispute.

For years equipped only with rudimentary navigation and support facilities, it remained unused until 2009, when it was upgraded to support fixed-wing transport aircraft.

More work was done after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, as he launched initiatives to strengthen India’s border infrastructure.

In 2022, New Delhi began exploring plans to upgrade the simple landing strip into a full-fledged, fighter-capable airbase. The project formally launched the following year, alongside other border infrastructure works, some of which triggered friction with China.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31. Photo: AFP alt=Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31. Photo: AFP>

Ties improved last year after China and India agreed on a patrolling arrangement along their shared border.

In August, Modi visited China and held talks with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.

The two leaders agreed to manage border issues more carefully and resume engagements, including direct flights and trade at three designated crossings.

But Ranjan said the improved ties had not erased long-standing border tensions and that New Delhi remained wary of the risk of a sudden flare-up.

Citing a deadly border clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020, which took place during a time of re-engagement, Ranjan said New Delhi and Beijing were realistic.

“Both sides know the limitations of their power, so they don’t want to take any chances,” he explained. “New Delhi may think that it’s always better to be ready for any uneven thing to happen.”

He of the Chinese think tank agreed, calling the airbase part of a long-term strategy for India. He said the timing of its inauguration did not imply that a strongly confrontational signal was being sent from New Delhi to Beijing.

He also believes China’s border infrastructure is still considerably stronger than India’s.

While describing India’s infrastructure development on its side of the border as “slow”, He said China “clearly holds an advantage” in efficiency and construction capacity.

Earlier this year, Indian media outlet NDTV, citing the Indian air force, reported that at least six new airbases were being built on the Chinese side of the border, within 25 to 150km of the Line of Actual Control.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.