China’s ‘Xiaokang’ border defence villages along LAC

• Context (IE | IE): China moves its nationals into its vacant ‘defence villages’ along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

What are Xiaokang border defence villages?

• China has been constructing 628 Xiaokang or “well-off villages” along India’s borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region for over five years now.
• The border villages include structures include mostly double-storey, large and spacious buildings. 
• Though their exact purpose remains unclear, they are understood to be dual-use infrastructure, can be used both for civil and military purposes, and have been a concern from a defence perspective.
  • It can also be a way to assert Chinese claims over certain areas along the LAC.

Is there any law governing these border villages?

• A new law on China’s land borders was brought into effect from January 1, 2022.
• It was passed in 2021 by the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress China’s rubber-stamp Parliament), for “protection and exploitation of the country’s land border areas”.

India’s response

• The Indian government announced the Vibrant Villages Programme in 2022 to develop its border villages into modern villages with all amenities and as tourist attractions.
• The programme builds on the existing Border Area Development Programme (BADP) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Other infrastructure projects by China along India’s borders

• Construction of new roads and bridges to improve connectivity through the passes in the northeast.
• There has also been a push to develop alternate routes to the LAC and improve inter-valley connectivity in the northeast.