Satellite images show China building along disputed Bhutan border

Structures suggest Beijing is giving concrete form to its border ambitions, according to experts

China has accelerated settlement-building along its disputed border with Bhutan, with more than 200 structures, including two-storey buildings, under construction in six locations, according to satellite image analysis conducted for Reuters.

The images and analysis by US data analytics firm HawkEye 360 – which uses satellites to gather intelligence on ground-level activities – provide a detailed look into China’s recent construction along its frontier with Bhutan.

Construction-related activity in some of the locations along Bhutan’s western border has been under way since early 2020, with China initially building tracks and clearing out areas, based on material provided by satellite imagery firms Capella Space and Planet Labs, said Mr Chris Biggers, the mission applications director at HawkEye 360.

Images show the work sped up last year.

Smaller structures were erected – possibly to house equipment and supplies – followed by the laying of foundations and then the construction of buildings, Mr Biggers said. “To me, 2021 was the period for acceleration,” Mr Biggers said.

Two other experts who studied the locations of the new construction and recent satellite images taken by Capella Space said all six settlements appear to be in territory disputed by China and Bhutan – including a contested tract of roughly 110 sq km – with little in the way of resources or native population.