The People’s Liberation Army forces are “fully deployed” in the disputed border region between India and China, the New Delhi Air Force chief said on Tuesday, as the Himalayan standoff approaches its eighth month. .
“Serious and robust actions” by the Indian military have successfully stopped Chinese ground and air forces on their tracks, since tensions worsened in deadly confusion in June, said Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.
Speaking at a virtual seminar organized by the think tank Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi, Bhadauria said the country’s armed forces were able to handle the latest dispute over its 2,100-mile Royal Control Line in Ladakh.
Military representatives from Beijing and New Delhi have met for eight rounds of negotiations since the summer. Despite talking about slowing down and reducing the military deployment, reports from both countries describe an increase in personnel, weapons and equipment as troops prepared for the winter months.
The PLA Army Western Theater Command in Tibet “has deployed heavily” in terms of the number of soldiers, said the head of the Indian Air Force.
China’s “border air force” has been “fully deployed,” he added, noting a significant presence of radars and missiles in Ladakh, which is under Indian control but is also claimed by Pakistan.
“Their deployment was very strong,” said Bhadauria, adding that “there is no need to worry” about India’s loss of territory or sovereignty in the ongoing dispute.
The Indian Air Force chief suggested that China’s motives in the region were not yet clear, describing the LAC skirmishes as “military signaling” or “exaggeration”.
“China’s aspirations are on the global front and regional domination is part of the way,” he said. “Any serious conflict between India and China is not good for China on the global front. If Chinese aspirations are global, then it does not fit in with their grand plans.”
About 20 Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in June, when Chinese and Indian forces clashed in the Galwan River valley. The number of PLA victims has been reported to be over 40, but the Chinese government has yet to confirm the figures.
A ninth round of negotiations between military leaders is expected, but Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday was pessimistic when asked about the potential for a positive outcome.
“It is true that, to reduce the impasse between India and China, negotiations were taking place at the military and diplomatic level. But no success has been achieved so far,” Singh told the Indian newspaper Asian News International.
He said the talks had produced “no significant results” and rejected any likely reduction in military deployment in the area.
Despite New Delhi’s initial assurances that trade between neighbors would not be affected by the new border dispute, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government banned Chinese apps, including Weibo, WeChat and TikTok. It also began to eliminate Huawei equipment from its 5G networks.
Chinese military websites have reported increased troop mobilization in Tibet, with the PLA ordering additional fighter planes and sending self-propelled howitzers to the high-altitude region.
Communist Party media accused New Delhi of allowing negative reporting and analysis of China in the country, describing it as a sign that India was not ready for a rapprochement.
NOAH SEELAM / AFP via Getty Images