How serious is the India-China military confrontation?

How serious is the India-China military confrontation?

Following the recent military clashes on the India-China border in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the two countries have deployed additional troops near the temporary line.

Military surveillance and patrols have been stepped up on both sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Military sources were quoted as saying that Chinese military helicopters were also seen flying near the border in Ladakh. The Indian and Chinese armies have strengthened their deployments around Damchok, Daulat Beg Oldi, the Gulwan River and Lake Pengongsu.

Two weeks ago, a hand-to-hand fight broke out between Chinese and Indian troops near Pangong Sujheel in eastern Ladakh.

According to some military media reports, Chinese troops have landed more patrol boats on the east bank of the lake, which is under their control, following the clash.

The report added that Chinese troops have not only stepped up patrols but are also becoming more aggressive. India controls an area of   45 km on the west bank of the lake. Indian patrol boats are stationed in the region.

India has been trying for some time to build a road for motor vehicles in the region. Chinese troops are opposing it. There is a mountain to the north of the lake. Its slopes are named after fingerprints. The LAC passes through these areas.

Last Monday in Beijing, Chinese state media said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had tightened its grip on the western sector of the Gulan Valley after India tried to change the status quo through unilateral and illegal construction.

There have been at least four clashes between Chinese and Indian troops on the LAC in the past few weeks.

In addition to the May 5 scuffle between the two countries' troops near Lake Pengong Soo in the Gluon Valley, iron rods and sticks were also used. Soldiers on both sides were wounded in the fighting.

Following the incident, a similar clash took place between the two countries' troops in the Indo-China border in the Nicola region in the northeastern state of Sikkim, 2,000 km from Ladakh. In mid-May, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Narayan had said that the two incidents in Ladakh and Sikkim had nothing to do with each other.

"Both sides were aggressive and soldiers on both sides were injured," he said.

Analyst Anant Krishnan says the face-to-face confrontation between the two countries' troops increases in the summer. "In the summer after the winter snowfall, troops on both sides increase patrols and surveillance in the region based on their own LAC assumptions."

He added that China has traditionally been at the forefront of road, construction and military patrols in the border area. But over the past few years, India has been strengthening its infrastructure in the border areas, making it easier for Indian troops to move and patrol. In the next two years, India will have built 61,300 km of roads of military importance in its border areas.

This is a big challenge for China
In the past, there were minor differences between the troops on the LAC, which were limited to debates, but now the Chinese military's attitude is more aggressive and harsh than before. It is now acutely felt in India that China's attitude towards the disputed areas of the Indo-China border is becoming increasingly systematic in its territorial claims.

India's relations with China were further strained in the early days of the corona pandemic, when a Chinese company bought a 10 percent stake in a major bank in the country.

Following the incident, India issued an ordinance to amend foreign investment law to stop Chinese investment in the country.

An article in The Hindu newspaper quoted former diplomat Gautam Bambawale as saying that stopping Chinese investment has nothing to do with the border dispute. Now there are better roads and facilities on both sides. The two are likely to face each other.

India launched a national campaign during the Corona pandemic, and after the US-China relationship worsened, many companies now want to leave China. India should take advantage of this situation and become an alternative to China for investment.

Many supporters of the ruling party in India are calling for the boycott of Chinese goods. China has reacted sharply to India's 'anti-China' efforts.

"Despite the economic catastrophe, India is dreaming of turning China into a global industrial system," the Chinese newspaper Global Times quoted the official. The fundamentalists' statement that India is on the verge of changing China is nothing more than a slogan of nationalism. “The idea of   leaving China is beyond economics from the military level,” he said. There is now some misconception that China may face a border issue. Such thinking is undoubtedly dangerous and misleading.

King Feng, a leading analyst at the University of Beijing, wrote in an article published on Tuesday that relations between China and the US were deteriorating during the Corona pandemic. This has led to ulation in Indian politicians.

Politicians, the media and even the military see a tremendous opportunity to change China in this situation. The corona epidemic affects military operations, patrolling, deployment, etc., but the Indian army is trying to be unjustifiably tough on border ties.

Qianfeng writes, "If India chooses to add fuel to an inaccessible climate, it will not only make it harder to stop the corona epidemic but also adversely affect the country's economic recovery."

Analysts expect that India has built roads, airplanes, helipads and airports on the India-China border in recent years and is still in the works.

Like China, Indian troops are now patrolling the border and the necessary construction is underway. Both are aggressive. Only the reverse flow can change the pressure.