Transgression, Face-Off And Tensions, Here Is What Is Happening At The India-China Border

While the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented crisis is brewing between India and China along the border with Tibet. For the first time since Doklam in 2017, respective armies of India and China are in the midst of a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.

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The standoff began with a violent confrontation between the patrol teams of both sides three weeks ago near Pangong Tso followed by the Naku La mountain pass in Sikkim that resulted in injuries on both sides.

Since then China has marshaled some 5000 People's Liberation Army soldiers along the region and Pangong Tso lake and Galwan valley, the PLA have built temporary structures, including erecting tents and building bunkers, besides also deploying heavy equipment.

News agency PTI, quoting top military sources reported that India has further increased its strength in the two contentious areas where Chinese army is learnt to have been deploying around 2,000 to 2,500 troops besides gradually enhancing temporary infrastructure. "The strength of the Indian Army in the area is much better than our adversary," said a top military official on the condition of anonymity.

The biggest concern for the Indian military has been the presence of Chinese troops around several key points including Indian Post KM 120 along the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley.

"It is serious. It is not a normal kind of transgression," former Northern Army commander Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda told PTI. He particularly emphasised that Chinese transgression into areas like Galwan was worrying as there was no dispute between the two sides in the area. Strategic affairs expert ambassador Ashok K Kantha too agreed with Lt General Hooda.

"There have been multiple incursions (by Chinese troops). This is something that causes concern. It is not a routine standoff. This is a disturbing situation," Kantha said.

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Chinese state-owned tabloid Global Times has characterised China¡¯s actions at the Line of Actual Control as a strong military response to ¡°India¡¯s illegal trespassing incident¡± and, on Sunday, reported that Beijing is likely to put its first domestically developed unmanned surveillance helicopter into service along the border. The AR500C unmanned helicopter is equipped to carry out fire strikes and disrupt electronic circuitry of its target at heights above 15,000 feet.

Global Times claimed that the Chinese action was a response to India¡¯s recent, illegal construction of defence facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region.

India has already dismissed China¡¯s allegations, saying, in fact, Chinese soldiers were hindering patrolling by the Indian armed forces. ¡°Any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across the LAC in the western [Ladakh] sector or the Sikkim sector is not accurate,¡± external affairs ministry spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava said last week.

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With no intervention by the political leaderships of both India and China, there is a growing fear that the stand-off may become the biggest standoff between the two countries since the 73-day-long Doklam dispute.