By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-09-02 13:58:25
Not many in India will be surprised that the Chinese indulged in an incursion into Indian territory even as they were engaged in talks with India. The Chinese have a history of saying one thing and doing another. They can never be trusted. That the Indian armed forces were alert and prepared and pushed them back in eastern Ladakh shows that India has now understood this well. It shows that the Indian army does not lower its guard just because talks are going on.
What happened in Pangong Tso sector proves that the Chinese are employing devious methods to take control of strategic areas at the LAC. The intruders tried to climb Pangong Heights with the intention to occupy them. That is a strategic and vantage point as it gives the occupier a wide view of the valley below and can help in timely thwarting any incursion attempt. The Chinese have always said that the LAC is not properly demarcated and would have occupied the heights to later claim that they were always with them. The Indian forces took aggressive but defensive action to thwart their designs.
Later in the day, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told an international audience in Paris that the border problems with India would recur as the LAC has not been demarcated. That is an extraordinary statement. There are troops at the border and for years, both countries have respected their respective positions. If, now, the Chinese start advancing at some points, it clearly means that they are intruding into areas that were not held by them and hence were in Indian control. That changes the status quo, something which India wants to maintain.
Even if the LAC has not been demarcated, an unwritten understanding is said to exist when the armies of the two countries hold their control positions at any international border. Any attempt by either of the parties to change the status quo by advancing from their position must be recognized as an attempt to grab land and is most certainly an act of war. The Chinese have been doing that at multiple points since April. A hand-to-hand combat that resulted in casualties on both sides and several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have failed to deter the Chinese.
India must now up the ante, especially after Wang Yiâs statement. It must ask the Chinese what they actually mean by saying that the border is not demarcated. If one reads well between the lines, Wang Yi has confirmed that the Chinese think that India is in possession of areas which they think belongs to them. The PLA will keep on making attempts to grab that land. India has to keep the armed forces at high alert to prevent that while making attempts to solve the dispute through both military and diplomatic channels.