Close on the eve of the resumption of India-China negotiations over their border dispute, the US expressed concern over China’s attempt to ‘intimidate’ its neighbours, including India, as Washington believes that Beijing’s behaviour in the region and around the world could be ‘destabilising’. The US reiterated that America will continue to stand with its partners.
Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, said on Monday, 10 January, that the US was closely monitoring the situation along the India-China border. “We continue to support dialogue and peaceful resolution of these border disputes,” she said.
“We’ve been pretty clear how we view Beijing’s behaviour in the region and around the world. We believe it can be destabilising. And we’re concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s attempt to intimidate its neighbours,” she said.
India and China on Wednesday, 12 January, began another round of high-level military talks to resolve the 20-month-long military stand-off all along their border and, particularly, in Eastern Ladakh. Ladakh is the northern-most Union Territory in India.
The 14th round of corps commander level talks are being held at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point, on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in eastern Ladakh.
India is going to the talks with a degree of reservation, hoping that China’s new engagement is earnest and innocuous. “We have continued to maintain the highest level of operational preparedness while at the same time engaging with Chinese PLA in dialogue. While there has been partial engagement, the threat by no means has reduced,” India’s army chief General M N Naravane said just before the talks commenced..
“We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in a firm and resolute manner. Necessary safeguards are in place to take care of any contingencies. Upgradation and development of infrastructure along northern borders has been carried out in a holistic and comprehensive manner,” he added.
In 2014, when India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping met in what seemed like would be a turnaround in the India-China relations, China only flattered to deceive, by amassing a large number of troops on the Indian side of the Ladakh border with China. The current exercise, in talks, is also indicative of China’s bullying tactics because China initiated current tensions along the border. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
The eastern Ladakh border stand-off between the Indian and Chinese armies was set-off on 5 May 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso lake areas that was actually instigated by Chinese violent incursions, and effected Indian reciprocation.
Additionally, tensions between the two neighbours have spiraled since the collapse of the 13th round of Corps Commander-level talks in October 2021. Today, China continues to occupy vast swathes of Indian territory in eastern Ladakh. The PLA has taken possession of Patrolling Point (PP) 15 in Hot Springs and PP17A near Gogra post in Ladakh, which are claimed by India. And has amassed additional troops across the border, armed with artillery, air defences, combat drones and heavy vehicles.
China’s territorial excessiveness and aggression is also exhibited by its opening up additional fronts along the border with India’s states of Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. China claims 83,743 square km of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh that borders the LAC across from the Tibet Autonomous Region. Since China annexed Tibet in 1950, it has laid stakes on Arunachal Pradesh, calling it ‘southern Tibet’ and hence, its territory.
In October 2021, some 200 PLA soldiers came close to attacking Indian positions in the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh. However, they turned back without any scuffle or damage to Indian property.
Most border demarcations with India are contentious as far as China is concerned, despite at least three border agreements in the past. In 2017, China trespassed into the Doklam plateau, which is divided between India, China and Bhutan.
In 1962, in the only war between the two countries, that lasted for around four weeks, China captured the 37,244-square-km Aksai Chin, that India still claims as part of Ladakh. Following the skirmish in Doklam, the PLA has constructed military infrastructure and permanently deployed troops there.
China’s postures of confident assertiveness and belligerence is often reflected in the Global Times (a state mouth-piece)’ editorials directed towards India and the US. When the 13th round of talks failed in 2021, a Global Times editorial proclaimed: ‘If India starts a war, it will definitely lose’.
Last year (in 2021), a Global Times editorial stated “As an ancient civilisation, India is wise enough to avoid understanding China through biased US lens.” Another editorial stated: “The Indian government should keep a sober head to not be used as cannon ash by the US,” signifying China’s increased tetchiness over India’s tilt towards the US in the new global scheme of things.
The US, under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – Quad – consisting of the US, India, Australia and Japan, has gotten a so-far reluctant India to take a stand against China by including the subject of peace and security in the Taiwan strait in the dialogue. For India, to get embroiled in the Taiwan imbroglio, would mean reprisals from an already hostile China.
On 23 October, China’s National People’s Congress approved a new border law asserting that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China are “sacred and inviolable”. The new border law which became operational from 1 January 2022, stipulated that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable”.
The border law came not without India’s reaction to it. India protested China’s new law blaming China for its “unilateral” decision to bring about a new land border law and said it is a matter of concern as the legislation can have implications on the existing bilateral pacts on border management and on the overall boundary question.
The border law also undermines other countries with land and maritime disputes with China as well. With the Philippines, China disputes the Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands. Even as China offered to negotiate, the Philippines declared these territories as non-negotiable. With Indonesia, there is a dispute over the Natuna Islands and other parts of the South China Sea. With Malaysia, it is over the Spratly Islands. With Japan, it is over the Senkaku Islands (or Diaoyu Islands) and Ryukyu Islands. With South Korea, it is over the Socotra Rock (Ieodo or Suyan Rock) in the East China Sea. With Brunei, it is over some parts of the Spratly Islands. With Singapore, it is over some parts of the South China Sea. And with Taiwan, over the Macclesfield Bank, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, parts of the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands.
As it is, China has made expansive and unjustified claims on the South China Sea. It claims 90% of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, but is opposed by south-east Asian countries including Taiwan.
On 12 July 2016, The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague dismissed Beijing’s claim to much of the South China Sea. It stated that there was no evidence that China had exercised exclusive control, historically, over the key waterway.
China has arrantly ignored the Court ruling and has continued to expand its South China Sea presence over the past five years.
As for India, the existence of a territorially avaricious China on its eastern front, having already a noisome adversary on the western flank, in Pakistan, poses a strategic nightmare. And it would be hoping China is willing to disengage, at least for the moment, and avoid any conflagration. But it could hardly expect a bellicose China to acquiesce without compromising it, what with China’s `great national rejuvenation’ agenda and its singular intent of making itself the apex power in the world today, even if it means transgressing all boundaries.
montes-musings.blog 
We gave them a Bloody nose at Galwan and the whole world took courage from this . A bloody fave is what they willlbe dished on the next round
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