evidence: In the desolate and inhospitable Himalayas, China is constructing and expanding hundreds of "xiaokang" (小康) villages along its hotly disputed border with India.1 These villages, often accompanied by military and dual-use infrastructure, are an important "gray zone" tool enabling China to assert and defend its claims near disputed areas. Commercial satellite images provide a glimpse into China’s activities and show that China is making rapid and significant progress on these border villages despite the harsh environment. In July 2017, the government of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region announced plans to construct hundreds of border villages and accompanying infrastructure as part of a major push to develop China’s remote border regions. Between 2018 and 2022, the region reportedly built 624 villages, and work has continued on additional villages. Many of these are clustered along the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border separating China and India. The eastern sector borders Arunachal Pradesh, a state administered by India but largely claimed by China as "South Tibet" (藏南). [...] China is not alone in developing infrastructure along the border. Alarmed by China’s border buildup, India also launched its own program to build villages in Arunachal Pradesh and other border states. However, China has demonstrated an enormous capacity to develop these regions, and India will find it challenging to keep pace with China.