Tensions are rising among India, Pakistan and China amid rumors of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops entering Kashmir through Gilgit-Baltistan region. Reports from STRATFOR sources in the area do not indicate a substantial PLA presence in the area. However, they have confirmed an increase in Chinese laborers and army engineers deployed to the area to assist in flood relief operations and expand the Karakoram Highway, which links China's Xinjiang province to Chinese-funded ports on the Arabian Sea via Pakistan's road and railway network. Though the reports of Chinese troop infiltration into Kashmir appear to be greatly exaggerated, China's reassertion of territorial claims, coupled with its support for Pakistan, is contributory to U.S.-Indian defense cooperation in the Indian Ocean basin. This trend, along with U.S. patience in Afghanistan wearing thin, will compel Pakistan to rely more heavily on Chinese support against India.
