Chinese-Indian border in the Himalayas. Photo:AP
"A significant number" of Chinese soldiers on the disputed border
The World Daily | News Desk | JUNE 4th 2020
Chinese troops have moved to the disputed section of the Himalayan border with India - the defence resort in Delhi reported to the American CNN. The so-called line of current control has remained a source of tension between the two nuclear powers since the 1960s.
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reported to CNN on Thursday, that “a significant number” of Chinese soldiers have approached the disputed Current Control Line (LAC). “It is true that the Chinese are on the border. They say that this is their territory. We believe that it belongs to us. In this matter, disagreement arose between us, and India did what had to be done,” said the minister quoted by CNN, not specifying the steps taken by Delhi.
The head of the Indian Defence Ministry added that on June 6th talks will be held at the “highest level” between the parties of the dispute. “We do not require any country to bow before us, but we do not intend to bow to any country,” he said.
The conflict between India and China is taking place over an unregulated border in the Himalayas since the 1962 war. The atomic powers are currently separated by the so-called line of current control drawn up in 1993. However, it crosses mainly barren Himalayan areas, which makes determining its exact course difficult. There are sporadic fist fights and stone fights occurring between soldiers of both armies in these territories.
The most serious confrontation recently took place in mid-2017, when at an altitude of over 4,000 m.a.s.l. Chinese units, protecting the construction of a new road, and Indian units, defending access to the so-called Siliguri corridor, which in the event of an invasion from China could cut off seven north-eastern states from the rest of India. Conflicts and stone battles occurred between the soldiers barely 150 meters apart for over 70 days.
At the time, politicians and generals in both countries warmed up the tense atmosphere, recalling the 1962 war between the neighbours. Indian internet called to stop buying Chinese products, and India Today TV speculated about a short-lived war.
Former Indian diplomat, Syam Saran suggested then in the “Mint” daily newspaper, that China wanted to weaken India's influence in Bhutan, squeezed between great neighbours.
At the end of March, US President Donald Trump offered a mediation on border disputes between China and India. “We have informed both China and India, that the United States is ready, willing and capable of mediation or arbitration in their raging border dispute,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.
The American leader referred to the aggravation of the situation in the disputed region in the western Himalayas. Earlier this month, unconfirmed reports appeared, about the temporary detention of Indian soldiers in the Ladakh region. Earlier, Indian media reported about the Chinese troops entering 3 km beyond the line separating the two countries.
As a result, both countries drew stronger forces over the border. As the AP agency wrote, the crisis was caused by the construction of roads and runways for aircraft in the disputed region - a competitive infrastructure for the Chinese flagship initiative project “Belt and Road.”
Trump has already publicly offered mediation in another Himalayan border conflict several times before - the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. The proposed initiative has never been implemented.
© The World Daily 2020 | News Desk
