Troops from India and China recently clashed along the Yangtse River in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. After the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, this was the first such incident involving Indian soldiers and Chinese PLA troops. Both sides have been patrolling areas up to their claim lines since 2006.
The incident occurred a few days after China complained that the India-US joint military exercise Operation Yudhabhyas at Auli in the Uttarakhand hills violated 1993 and 1996 border agreements.
The Indian Army says that distinct perceptions exist in specific locations in the Tawang Sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which is divided into the western (Ladakh), middle (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), Sikkim, and eastern (Arunachal Pradesh) sectors.
As a strategic entry point into the northeastern region of India, Tawang could be of tactical interest to China. Tawang is a basic point in the hallway between Tibet and Brahmaputra Valley.
The Galden Namgey Lhatse, the second-largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, is located in Tawang, which also borders Bhutan. Merag Lodroe Gyamtso established the monastery in 1680-1681 to fulfill the wishes of the fifth Dalai Lama.
China claims that the monastery provides evidence that the district once belonged to Tibet. In support of their claim to Arunachal, they cite historical ties between the Tawang monastery and the Lhasa monastery in Tibet.
There are some tribes in the upper Arunachal region that have cultural ties to Tibetans, and Tawang is a significant Buddhist centre. China fears that the presence of these ethnic groups in Arunachal could eventually lead to a Tibetan movement for democracy against Beijing, reports The Indian Express.
The Dalai Lama entered India via Tawang and spent some time in the Tawang monastery when he fled Tibet in 1959 amid China's crackdown.
Arunachal Pradesh is the largest state in the northeast, sharing international borders with Bhutan to the west, Myanmar to the east, and Tibet to the north and northwest. It acts as a shield for the northeast.
Despite China's claim to the entire state, Tawang is China's main interest. If Beijing were to gain control of Arunachal, Bhutan would have Chinese neighbours on both its western and eastern borders. China has already begun the construction of motorable roads linking strategic points on the western side of Bhutan.
China controls India's water supply to the northeast. It is capable of using water as a geo-strategic weapon against India by causing flooding or drought in the region and has constructed multiple dams. Before becoming the Brahmaputra, the Tsangpo river originates in Tibet and flows into India.
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