India and China Trade Blame Over Troop Movements at Disputed Border
NEW DELHI—India and China accused each other of moving troops across their disputed border in recent days in violation of agreements between the two sides, the latest sign of tensions along the two countries’ disputed border.
The Indian army said China attempted “provocative military movements” on the southern bank of a glacial lake in the Himalayas in the disputed area. The official statement, which included few details, said it stopped the Chinese troop movements.
The Chinese move, the Indian army said, was in violation of the consensus reached during military and diplomatic level talks between the two sides in recent weeks that are part of the efforts to resolve border tensions.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news conference Monday that China’s border forces have consistently adhered to what is known as the line of actual control, a de facto border, and never carried out any activities across the line.
In some areas of their disputed border, particularly near Pangong Lake, China and India have conflicting claims on where the line of actual control lies. These conflicting claims have triggered showdowns between the forces of both sides.
The Indian army said Indian troops stopped forces of the People’s Liberation Army by strengthening the Indian position in the Pangong Lake area overnight on Aug. 29.
“The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity,” said the army spokesman.
The Indian army didn’t disclose details about what happened, what the Chinese forces were trying to do and how they were stopped. The army statement said that senior military commanders of the two sides were holding talks at a border meeting point to try to resolve the latest issues.
A senior Indian government official told The Wall Street Journal that the Indian army discovered through drone and satellite reconnaissance that Chinese troops were moving to occupy some of the heights on the Indian side of the lake’s southern bank.
“Our soldiers proactively thwarted their plan and occupied the strategically important heights before they could do so,” said the official. “There wasn’t any physical clash between the two forces so no question of any injury or casualties.”
Col. Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army Western Theater Command, which is responsible for defending border areas in China’s remote Tibet and Xinjiang regions, said Indian troops crossed the actual line of control on the south bank of the lake, violating an agreement reached through previous talks.
“The Indian side was disloyal and went back on its promise,” Col. Zhang was quoted as saying Monday by China’s official Xinhua News Agency. He called on the Indian military to immediately withdraw its forces, according to Xinhua.
Analysts said the latest development was an indicator that the two nuclear-armed nations needed to do much more to bridge their mutual distrust.
“They seem to be talking past each other, rather than at each other” in talks, said Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank. “I think we’ll see more jockeying.”
Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in a bitter standoff at multiple locations since early May, when a skirmish broke out in one of the disputed points during patrolling by troops. The region has seen a heavy buildup of troops and artillery by both the sides since then.
In mid-June, a deadly fight broke out after an Indian army officer and several soldiers entered a Chinese camp in the Galwan Valley to demand the Chinese pull back. India says China had agreed to retreat after talks between local military commanders.
The resulting clash, involving hundreds of troops from each side, left 20 Indian soldier dead and dozens injured. Indian officials say dozens of Chinese soldiers died, as well, although China hasn’t confirmed or denied there were deaths on its side.
Clashes between troops along the de facto border that has separated India and China since a 1962 war have become more frequent in recent years. Some in India worry that China is trying to gradually seize the region one slice at a time. Both countries claim significant chunks of each other’s territory.
China and India have both stepped up efforts to build roads and military installations closer to the disputed regions in recent years, and their troops sometimes encounter each other as they patrol disputed areas.
New Delhi worries that China is persistently probing the region with its army to erode India’s grip on the parts of disputed areas it controls. China says India has recklessly built military capacity in and near disputed areas, provoking China now particularly when it has been under international criticism for how it has handled the coronavirus outbreak.
“The PLA is digging its heels and is going to be in confrontation with the Indian army,” said N.C. Bipindra, a Delhi-based defense analyst. “A long and hard military confrontation is likely now as diplomacy has clearly failed.”
Photo: An Indian jet fighter flew Monday over a mountain range in Leh, the largest city in the northern Indian region of Ladakh. - PHOTO: MOHD ARHAAN ARCHER/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGE
