Shots fired at the LAC for the first time in years
Border tension between India and China escalated on 7-8 September night when Chinese troops fired shots in the air. This is probably the first time in decades when shots were fired at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) border. Hours after the firing, Chinese military in a statement said that Indian troops fired warning shots near a Chinese border patrol. They termed India’s action as a “grave military provocation of a vile character.”[S1]
Indian officials denied the accusation and said that it was China that broke the year-long tradition by firing warning shots to intimidate Indian troops. The statement also said that despite the grave provocation, Indian armed forces exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner.
The border dispute between the two neighboring countries has escalated to a point, where it won’t be wrong to say that the situation is very alarming.
Casualties so far
Earlier on June 15th, the clash took place in the Galwan Valley in which our 20 soldiers died protecting our boundaries. Later in August, a soldier from a secretive force of Tibetan refugees who worked for the Indian Army died after he stepped on a land mine. China has not revealed the number of casualties so far.
Thousands of reinforcements have rushed to the conflict area, backed by heavy artillery, fighter jets and tanks from both sides. The clashes have sparked a wave of anti-china sentiments. The Government of India has also taken some indirect steps to hurt China economically by banning Chinese apps, giving tenders of government projects to China and other measures.
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What officials have said on the border-tension
External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar in an interview described the situation as unprecedented and most serious after the India-China war in 1962. Manoj Mukund Naravane, Army Chief, had described the situation along the border as slight tense few days earlier and said that deployment of troops has taken place as a precautionary measures.
Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister (Now officially called Raksha Mantri) met Chinese Defence minister, General Wei Fenghe at the SCO summit in Moscow on 4th September. The meeting that lasted 2 hours and 2minutes, saw Rajanth Singh blaming the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for its aggressive behavior along the Line of Actual Control. He also accused PLA of trying ruthlessly transgress into the Indian territory even after being warned several times.
The Defense Ministry of India, on its Twitter handle, shared some insights from the meeting. One of the tweets said that Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh has clearly stated to the Chinese counterpart that Indian troops have always taken a responsible approach towards border management but that doesn’t mean that we will not protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
RM stated clearly that while the Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border management, but at the same time there should also be no doubt about our determination to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 5, 2020
RM said that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas was essential for the further development of bilateral relations & that2 sides should not allow differences to become disputes
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 5, 2020
RM advised that it was important therefore that Chinese side should work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest from all friction areas including Pangong Lake as well as de-escalation in border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements & protocols
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 5, 2020
Raksha Mantri conveyed that the two sides should continue their discussions, including through diplomatic and military channels, to ensure complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC at the earliest.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 5, 2020
China’s threat to India
On the other hand, China’s military mouthpiece Global Times on Saturday said that China is much stronger than India, including the military. It said that even though India and China, are both great powers, India will lose if it comes to the ultimate competition of combat capability. In the editorial, the Global Times added that India has no chance of winning in case of a border war.
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