China’s actions in the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are aimed at exerting influence in areas not even patrolled by Chinese troops in the past, while denying space to India on high ridges, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The actions of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are also aimed at probing Indian defenses along the disputed border in Arunachal Pradesh, although such moves have been expected by the Indian security establishment for some time, which helped repel an attempted breach in the Yangtze region. December 9, people said.
Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a skirmish on Friday as the Indian Army prevented the PLA from intruding into Indian territory, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Tuesday. He said that PLA troops tried to “cross the LAC in the Yangtse area in the Tawang sector and unilaterally change the status quo”.People familiar with relations with China and the resolution of several standoffs in the LAC said the Chinese leadership would have signed off on Friday’s PLA action at the highest levels and the incident could not be considered a sudden skirmish or flare-up.
“It appears that there has been a decision to push India’s defenses and try to gain as much ground as possible over a period of four to five years during which the Indian side can further strengthen its position across the LAC,” one of the people said.”There is also a consistent pattern of the Chinese side trying to exercise de jure influence in areas it claims but which have not previously been patrolled by Chinese troops,” he added.
Under China’s new Land Border Law, which took effect in January 2022, it is also the supreme responsibility of the PLA, armed police and other authorities to protect and integrate border areas, the people said. This law contains a legal obligation for the military to patrol up to the maximum possible number in disputed areas. former foreign minister Vijay Gokhale described the current situation in LAC as “armed coexistence”.
“India is now more willing and determined to strengthen military capacity in preparation for the situation of armed coexistence expected to prevail along the LAC,” he wrote. Air Vice Marshal (retd) Manmohan Bahadur said the overall impact of the latest skirmish will be that India’s commitment in terms of manpower and equipment will be in the eastern sector throughout the year. “In the past, both sides have tended to rest in the winter, but that will change.” It will also have an impact in terms of budget, manpower and training and relief breaks,” he said.
Both Bahadur and former ambassador Vishnu Prakash said the move by the Chinese side could also be aimed at undermining India’s position on the global stage at a time when the country holds the presidency of both the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). “This incident near Tawang should not have happened, but it was not unexpected. The Chinese are waiting and testing India’s defenses. The situation is not normal and the ball is in China’s court. It is up to them to take the necessary steps to de-escalate.”
