Heweitan () is the location of a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

border outpost A border outpost, border out post, border observation post or BOP Aksai Chin Aksai Chin is a region administered by China as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang and Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. It is claimed by India to be a part of its Leh District, Ladakh Union Territory. It is a part of t ...

that is controlled by China (as part of

Hotan County Hotan County (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is a county in the southwest of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Hotan Prefecture. Almost all the residents of t ...

Hotan Prefecture Hotan PrefectureThe official spelling is "Hotan" according to (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is located in the Tarim Basin region of southwestern Xinjiang, China, bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region ...

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

) but disputed by

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. According to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, it is the highest border outpost in the country.

Geography

Heweitan is near the head of the

Karakash River The Karakash or Black Jade River, also spelled ''Karakax'' (, , Қарақаш Дәряси), is a river in the Xinjiang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China that originates in the disputed Aksai Chin region administered by China. I ...

as it emerges from the Karakoram mountains into the Aksai Chin plateau. Karakash flows northeast through Aksai Chin until reaching the Kunlun Mountains, where it bends to northwest. The Chang Chenmo caravan route between Ladakh and Xianjiang via the

Galwan The Galwan River flows from the disputed Aksai Chin area administered by China to the Union Territory of Ladakh, India. It originates near the caravan campsite Samzungling on the eastern side of the Karakoram range and flows west to join the S ...

and Karakash valleys passed through this location. In modern times, the Tiankong Highway connects Heweitan to Tianwendian and

Kongka Pass The Kongka Pass or Kongka La () is a low mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control between India and China in eastern Ladakh. It lies on a spur of the Karakoram range that intrudes into the Chang Chenmo Valley adjacent to the disputed Aksa ...

bases of China. Heweitan is also close to the head of the Jeong Nala, which flows west into the

Shyok River The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, spanning some . The Shyok River originates at the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. Its alignment is very ...

in Ladakh, and is able to strategically control its valley. China also has a motorable road in the Jeong valley to access the

Line of Actual Control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment of ...

with India.

Sino-Indian border conflict

Heweitan was one of the sectors of the Chinese offensive during the

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

in 1962. This base served as the HQ for the sector, and the forces in this sector played an adversarial role to the Indian forces in

Galwan River The Galwan River flows from the disputed Aksai Chin area administered by China to the Union Territory of Ladakh, India. It originates near the caravan campsite Samzungling on the eastern side of the Karakoram range and flows west to join the Sh ...

Valley.

Media

Being supposedly the highest border outpost in China, Heweitan is often reported upon by the Chinese media.

CCTV-7 CCTV-7 is a Chinese free-to-air television channel owned by China Central Television. The channel primarily carries programming devoted to the People's Liberation Army. Prior to 1 August 2019, the channel also carried agriculture-related progr ...

alone had made full-hour coverage in 2014 and half-hour coverage in 2016 about this border outpost. In late 2018, Chinese Ministry of National Defense made a theatrical trailer promoting border troops that was shown in the movie theatre. It included footages from Heweitan.

References

{{reflist Barracks in China Hotan Prefecture Aksai Chin

Geography

Sino-Indian border conflict

Media

See also

References