WHERE ONLY EAGLES DARE
Indian Army's control of heights plays with Chinese nerves
More than anything, the Chinese are annoyed with India’s recent occupation of three hilltops on the south bank of Pangong Lake. Not only does control of the ridges give India a tactical advantage since it is perched at a higher altitude, it also gives Indian Army control of a vantage position from which it can monitor troop movement in key passages in the area.
Looking at the big picture, the control of the heights serves as a leverage to keep PLA misadventures in check. However, China has not taken kindly to Indian army's occupation of these key heights, which the latter sees as an entirely defensive manoeuvre, aimed at countering a Chinese build-up with tanks and troops on their side of the LAC in the area.
That the control of the heights is playing with the frayed Chinese nerves is apparent from the statement of its embassy. It had lamented that India ‘‘trespassed the Line of Actual Control at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border.’’
This is a dead give-away: If India is indeed holding on to Rechin La, as claimed by China, it means Indian troops are about 3 km inside the Chinese territory (Ref: India Today).
The recent Chinese mobilisation, in turn, close to the Indian base at Thakung, was essentially aimed at altering this precarious equation. It is understood that the Chinese had brought in a sizeable number of troops which, with help of ropes and other equipment, started climbing in a table-top area between Black Top and Thakung Heights at Pangong Tso, south bank. However, the clandestine activity in the dead of the night was thwarted by a well-fortified Indian position.
India and China, meanwhile, held another round of militar y talks to ease the escalating tension. The belligerence shown by the Chinese on Monday and Tuesday went hand in hand with conciliatory noises on foreign shores. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, harping on the of t repeated line in Paris, stated that Beijing is ready to manage all issues through dialogue with India. He said during an interaction at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris that there were problems in perception as the boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated. In the same breath, he added: "There are philosophical views, too. That instead of the dragon and the elephant competing, the two should dance together...'' The cr yptic analogy seems to put the enigmatic India, China relations and Beijing's duplicity in perspective.