In matters pertaining to Indo-China dispute, the Indian Army once again stopped Chinese intrusion at the Arunachal border. About 200 Chinese soldiers were intercepted by the Indian Army, according to the reports. The matter was resolved later thanks to local commanders on both sides directing the troops to disengage.
The incident comes just a few days ahead of the 13th Indo China Corps Commander talks. While some of these talks have ended in a cold stalemate, some have been relatively successful with rules of disengagement being discussed.
Details
India and China are neighbours with a long disputed history. What makes the matters more concerning is that both the neighbours have a nuclear arsenal to its disposal and a billion plus population at risk. India and China share a 3,500 kilometers border through the Himalayas. The border is unmarked and since the 1962 war, both the sides have been engaged in offensive and defensive warfare.
The tensions between the two sides have been an all-time high since June 15, 2020. On June 15, the truce between the two sides was tossed aside as a physical brawl between the two sides occurred in the Galwan Valley.
Since then, both the sides have been deploying troops at the unmarked border – the Line of Control.
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The Facts of the Matter
In a concerning development, Indian and Chinese troops had another face-off earlier last week where hundreds of soldiers from People’s Liberation Army were stopped at the Line of Actual Control on the Arunachal Pradesh border.
The most recent face-off occurred at the Bum La and Yangtse border pass which is close to the Line of Control. No defence structurers were damaged during or after the face-off and no casualties or injuries were reported.
Reportedly, the face off occurred when both the sides were engaged in its routine patrol close to the border. After the face-off, which lasted for a few hours, the troops disengaged. This happened after local commanders from both the sides took stock of the situation and called for disengagement.
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How Could the PLA Soldiers Enter Indian Border?
The reason is simpler than one would imagine. The Indo-China border has not been formally demarcated, this means that there’s no agreed upon border. As there’s no agreed upon border, both the sides perceive LAC differently. So far, peace in such areas has been maintained thanks to the existing protocols shared by both India and China.
Further, such incidents can also occur when both the sides take their patrolling right to the LAC of their perception. This leads to unintended face-offs between the troops of both the countries.
Why Arunachal Border is Contended by the Chinese?
Other than Kashmir border, China also contends to the border of Arunachal Pradesh. China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China as there used to be ties between the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal and Lhasa monastery, Tibet. According to China, Tibet is a province of China, and hence, Arunachal Pradesh should also be a part of China.
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What’s the Current Situation Between India and China?
The Arunachal Pradesh face off comes just a month after another intrusion was intercepted by Indian troops in Uttarakhand’s LAC.
Troops from both the sides have been engaged in a tense standoff at the Ladakh LAC since 2020. After multiple rounds of talks, both the sides did decide on troop disengagement. However, the two sides are yet to direct a major de-escalation where troops that are on Ladakh’s crucial points are still eyeing each other.
