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.

Line of Actual Control (LAC) LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese controlled territory. India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km. LAC is divided into three sectors: Eastern sector (spans Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim): Boundary dispute over the MacMahon Line. Middle sector (Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh): It is the only one where India and China have exchanged maps on which they broadly agree. Western sector (in Ladakh): Boundary dispute pertains to the Johnson Line. For details on LAC, visit >PMFIAS-IG-01-India