Ahead of China talks, India signals realistic approach
LADAKH Officials say though discussions are on, it doesn’t mean an immediate resolution
nNEW DELHI: Indian military officials will walk into a meeting on Saturday with their Chinese counterparts to attempt to resolve the month-long row over the Line of Actual Control knowing that it may not be possible to achieve an immediate breakthrough to the standoff in Eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity.
Saturday’s meeting is the first high-level meeting since the May 5 scuffle involving soldiers from the two countries near Pangong lake and subsequent stand-off at Galwan riverulet and it will happen between Lt General Harinder Singh, the general officer commanding the Leh-based 14 Corps, and his Chinese counterpart who heads the People’s Liberation Army’s Group Army.
Last round of talks between delegations led by two major general-rank officers of both armies on June 2 was inconclusive. Officials, however, underline it is significant both sides are talking through established military and diplomatic channels, even as they acknowledge dialogue does not mean an immediate resolution. “This is the eventuality we are prepared for,” one of them said.
India has already made it clear it wants the Chinese troops to move back and restore status quo ante on the four positions. “We are not in a hurry… and I believe, neither is the Chinese side,” a government functionary who asked not to be named said, indicating what he termed the government’s “realistic approach” to the dialogue process.
A second official said that given the high stakes involved, he expected the Ladakh standoff to continue for longer than the 73-day Doklam one. “Both sides have brought in elements that may continue for some months”
The May 5 scuffle between soldiers of the two neighbours, which was triggered by an aggressive group of Chinese soldiers, was the starting point of Beijing scaling up its presence along the eastern Ladakh border.
Over the next few days, China amassed two Combined Arms Brigades of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso patrolling points along the 3,488-kilometrelong Line of Actual Control (LAC). This comes to around 8,000 soldiers plus support elements.
Indian officials say the standoff at Pangong Tso appears to be aimed at dominating the Srijap mountain that overlooks the lake. But the game in Galwan valley, where Chinese military has parked itself around three patrolling points, is a lot more complex.
“Broadly, our understanding is that PLA’S focus on Galwan valley is prompted by multiple objectives mostly linked to stalling upgrade of border infrastructure that has picked up pace in past two years,” a person familiar with government’s position on the standoff said on condition of anonymity.
For one, China wants to stall the construction of the winding 255-km Darbuk-shyok-daulat
Beg Oldie road that will give the Indian army easy access to the last military post south of the dominating Karakoram Pass.
The Indian side is, however, determined to complete construction of the entire stretch by this summer including the 60-metre bridge across the Galwan rivulet or nallah near the point of its confluence with Shyok river. “We have to complete the concrete bridge this month, and the road well before the onset of winter,” the first official said.
Once this is completed, India’s military capacity and capability will increase manifold in the region and enable the army to put counter pressure on PLA at Karakoram Pass, Chip Chap river area, Trig Heights, Hot Springs, Galwan and Depsang Plains.
“India will then have the capacity to counter Chinese pressure,” the first official said. This is an eventuality that the Chinese, who have been upgrading border infrastructure for decades, are trying to avoid. In the long term, Indian strategists say Chinese effort appears focused on making Indian positions in Daulat Beg Oldie sector untenable.
On its part, China has been pushing to open a route through this sector for a better linkage to
Pakistan.
Currently, China and its ally Pakistan are linked by the Karakoram highway via the Khunjerab Pass.but China is looking to link Tibet with occupied Gilgit Baltistan through a better allweather road.
The idea is to have a better route to Pakistan so that China Pakistan Economic Corridor is serviced throughout the year..
China has already built a road through Gilgit’s Shaksgam valley that lies north-west of Siachen glacier. Pakistan ceded around 5,163 sq km of the Shaksgam valley to China in a controversial 1963 boundary agreement.
If the Chinese are able to cut India off at Daulat Beg Oldie, they can put pressure through axis Murgo-saser La-sansoma, a major logistical supply point on Shyok River for Indian soldiers deployed to dominate Siachen Glacier, an army officer said on condition of anonymity.
That would help Beijing’s ally Pakistan. “In a way,” the army officer said, “you could say that what General Pervez Musharaff could not achieve through the Kargil war, China’s paramount leader Xi Jinping, chairman of its Central Military Commission, expects to achieve before he demits office”.
The officer said the Chinese side could also try to stall extension of an airstrip at Daulat Beg Oldie that would allow heavyweight transport aircraft to land.
While South Block has been tightlipped about the motivation of Chinese aggression along LAC, it is quite evident the move was also aimed to message Beijing’s unhappiness over certain economic measures taken by India after the Covid outbreak, analysts said. The Chinese government took offence to India’s new rule notified in early April that blocked Chinese companies from acquiring Indian firms without government approval.