India in no mood to back down in China stand-off
NEW DELHI: India has decided to not back down from a standoff with China -- along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh -- that centres around a strategic bridge being built near Daulat Beg Oldi, the last military post south of the Karakoram Pass, and has moved troops to counter Chinese forces stationed in the region, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named, even as China said on Wednesday that the situation on the border was “generally stable and controllable.”
The idea is to not allow any alteration of Indian territory and to face the Chinese challenge with “strength and restraint”, the people cited above said
Thousands of Indian and Chinese troops are locked in eye-ball-to-eye-ball confrontation along the LAC following violent clashes early this month that left soldiers on both sides injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday met national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat to assess the situation along the LAC amid a tense stand-off between thousands of Indian and Chinese troops, especially in Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. The CDS briefed PM Modi on the military inputs and suggestions to handle the situation in Ladakh.
“The bottom line is that we will not allow any change in the status quo on the LAC. That we will not permit,” said one of the people cited above, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We have faced similar situations in the past, and we will face this situation with strength and restraint,” the person added.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that the situation on the China-India border was “generally stable and controllable”. The sides were communicating through both their front-line military units and their respective embassies to “properly resolve relevant issues through dialogue and consultation,” Zhao said at a news conference in Beijing
China is committed to abiding by agreements signed by the sides and to “maintaining peace and stability in the border area between China and India,” Zhao said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump waded into the
tense border standoff between India and China, saying he was “ready, willing and able to mediate” between the two sides. Trump, who has in the past repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and been rebuffed, made the latest offer through a tweet. He also said he had informed India and China of his offer.
“We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!” he tweeted.
There was no immediate response from Indian officials. It also could not be confirmed whether Trump had formally conveyed the offer to the Indian side.
Indian security officials said that the focus of the Chinese action in the area was to “dominate the region” and “deter India” from completing the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road, which, once fully metalled, will give India a major advantage in terms of access and military mobilisation. A key part of this is the construction of a bridge at Daulat Beg Oldi that China wants to stop.
“India has decided to stand up to China -- in terms of troops, capacity and resources,” one of the officials said on condition of anonymity, adding that this included the induction of specialised forces in the area. China is believed to have marshalled close to 5,000 soldiers on its side of Ladakh sector. The situation in the Sikkim sector, meanwhile, has eased off, the official added.
The people cited in the first instance also reiterated the external affairs ministry’s comment of May 22 that all activities by Indian troops were on the Indian side of the LAC in the Ladakh and Sikkim sectors. They repeated the ministry’s accusation that it was Chinese troops that were hindering normal patrolling by Indian forces on the Indian side of the LAC.
“The Indian troops are fully familiar with the alignment of the LAC. The Chinese have raised similar objections and made similar attempts [to hinder the activity of Indian troops] in the past too. Their motives and intentions in the current circumstances are not clear,” one of the persons said.
“But we are very firm and very clear – there have no violations by us,” the person added.
A second person, who too spoke on condition of anonymity, said India’s construction activities in forward areas will not stop because of the standoff.
The issue is being dealt with on the Indian side by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and CDS General Bipin Rawat, a senior official aware of the matter said.
Indian and Chinese soldiers are eyeball-to-eyeball at four locations along the LAC and several rounds of talks between local military commanders have failed to end the standoff that began with a violent confrontation between rival patrols three weeks ago near Pangong Lake.
The standoff is also expected to figure prominently on the agenda of the three-day army commanders’ conference that begins on Wednesday, officials said. Army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane
will chair the meeting.
“The apex level leadership of the Indian Army will brainstorm on current emerging security and administrative challenges and chart the future course for the army,” an army spokesperson said.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) plans to complete all 61 strategic roads assigned to it along the border with China by December 2022, officials said. These roads are spread across Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and will allow swifter mobilisation of troops and stores to forward areas.