India has protested the recent violation by China in Ladakh’s Depsang Valley in Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports from the area, Chinese PLA troops intruded deep into the Indian territory (10 kms.) and pitched a tent at Raki Nala on April 15. The next day, on April 16, India set up its own post, approximately 300 meters opposite the Chinese tent to monitor the ground situation. A few days later, the Chinese violated Indian air space; two Chinese military helicopters were spotted on April 21 in the Chumar sector, about 300 km southeast of Leh.
While the intrusions by the Chinese and Indian troops violating the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are frequent, this is the first time that such a deep incursion has taken place from the Chinese side- and the latter has refused to budge. At the military level, both the countries have held two Flag meetings of the local commanders, but with the Chinese denying any violations, no solutions have yet come forward.
This is going to cost us financially, if the stand-off drags on much longer. Unlike the Chinese, who have good road and air connectivity on the LAC and hence can service their posts easily, India lacks the proper road network and has to use air sorties from the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip (30 kms. from the Indian post), to replenish supplies to the troops. At the diplomatic level, the Ministry of External Affairs has taken recourse to the working mechanism for consultation and coordination on India-China border affairs. It has also raised the issue with the Chinese Ambassador in New Delhi.
However, the consistent refusal of the Chinese to acknowledge the violation and their firm belief that they are in the Chinese territory has the potential to further undermine Indian territorial claims. Politically, our government has so far made the right noises publicly of not allowing any compromise on India’s territorial integrity. In reality, India’s response on-the-ground has not been commensurate with its public position. While we have asked China to maintain the prior status quo, we have shied away from exploring other options like issuing a demarche to the Chinese Ambassador which will signify India’s intent to escalate the issue and impact overall bilateral relations.
Two bilateral visits are scheduled. On May 9, our foreign minister Salman Khurshid, is going ahead with a planned trip to China, and perhaps he should not have. He may yet utilize it to convey that such intrusions violate Indian sovereignty and are unacceptable. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit India May 20, presenting us another chance to deliver a strong message to the Chinese high command on the advancement of bilateral issues being hindered by such dubious incursions. But ultimately, it is for India to decide how long it will prod the Chinese to resolve the boundary dispute if there is no notable progress.
India must be seen to be responding from a position of strength; all of Asia is watching. Recently, a government official from a South East Asian nation, in an interaction with Gateway House, observed that his country was surprised by India’s ‘hesitant’ response to the repeated Chinese incursions into its territory. India is perceived as a “reluctant great power,” he said. The Chinese themselves are not very eager to engage in military confrontation, he explained, and hence India needed a firm rejoinder to Chinese adventurism, forcing them to eventually back off. This will send the right signal to the smaller countries of South East Asia, especially those also smarting from Chinese assertiveness, that the other large Asian nation, India, is ready to stand up to China and its territorial aggrandizement.
This is the first shot from China’s new leadership, signaling a sharper policy from Beijing towards India; it is also why our response must be firm, and the Chinese must be seen to back off. Else we can expect more, and worse, to come from our northern neighbour.
Sameer Patil is Associate Fellow, National Security, Ethnic Conflict and Terrorism, at Gateway House.
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