This Article is written by Shivangi Rajiva ( a 5th-year BBA.LLB student from Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad)
Following the outbreak of the standoff in eastern Ladakh last May, India has repeatedly emphasized that harmony and tranquillity in border extents are necessary for the general growth of bilateral ties. Even after a year of rounds of commander-level discussions between India and China, the two nations’ hostility in the Himalayan area has not abated. The Indian side has maintained its stance of disengagement and restoration to the status quo, while the Chinese side appears more willing to maintain a presence in the Pangong Tso and Depsang sectors.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the month of June 2020, in a skirmish between the Chinese and the Indian soldiers deployed along a disputed Himalayan boundary. The conflict has been the bloodiest between the two nuclear-armed nations in decades, but far from the first. The soldiers from the two nuclear-armed nations did not involve any gunfire (as the two nations are not permitted to carry firearms in the region) but fashioned weapons from anything they could find in the barren environment, located at an elevation of around 14,000 feet above sea level.
In August, India and China held their 12th round of Corps-Commander level discussions to resolve outstanding issues in Eastern Ladakh. In a further move on disengagement for withdrawal at status quo sites prior to April 2020, India and China have agreed to withdraw their respective soldiers from patrolling point 17A, one of the major points of contention between the two countries in Eastern Ladakh. Both sides agreed to resolve these outstanding problems expeditiously in accordance with existing agreements and norms and to continue the pace of conversation and talks, according to the statement.
Two days back, K9-Vajra, a self-propelled howitzer was deployed in forwarding regions of Eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army has positioned its first K9-Vajra near the Line of Actual Control with China in the Ladakh area. The cannon is capable of striking targets at a range of around 50 kilometres.
INCREASE IN CHINESE DEPLOYMENT: A MATTER OF CONCERN
The developments along the LAC in eastern Ladakh have exacerbated the legacy issues on India’s active and contested western and eastern fronts. With the Chinese increasing their deployments in considerable numbers in the forward regions across Eastern Ladakh moving on to the Northern front even reaching up to the Eastern Command, it is likely to increase concerns with respect to the ongoing conflict. Following last year July’s withdrawal from the Galwan Valley, the two sides were able to extricate from the North and South Banks of Pangong Lake in February 2021 and from Gogra in August 2021. The Chief of Army Staff recently visited numerous advanced locations in eastern Ladakh to conduct a detailed evaluation of India’s operational readiness in light of the country’s protracted military stalemate with China in the mountainous region.
In the words of Shyam Saran (Former Foreign Secretary of India) – “China’s leadership has sanctioned the continuing Ladakh standoff, which has lasted over a year in order for Beijing to demonstrate to New Delhi and the rest of the world that it is in a “higher league”. After the Galwan Valley confrontation, Beijing has developed a worldview in which other Asian nations would have to acknowledge China as the continent’s “hierarchy.” Thus, he continued, it is past time for India to strengthen its own capabilities in order to mitigate the rising power disparity.
China’s true intentions toward India can be demonstrated by the continuous development of infrastructure along the LAC, despite many rounds of military-level negotiations about withdrawal from the sites of tension that erupted during last year’s standoff in Eastern Ladakh. Border incidents between India and China will continue to occur until the two nations achieve an agreement on their respective borders. Recent events in Afghanistan “has unquestionably been the focus” of the Indian Army, which is continuing to assess threat perceptions and create appropriate measures. Additionally, recent experience indicates that, when resolving a tough bilateral issue, finding a settlement requires developed minds, open frequencies, and steadiness amid words and deeds. While these are all great attributes to build upon, we must avoid certain roadblocks that might obstruct growth.
In 1988 it was agreed to keep the tenacity of the border dispute on a discrete but equivalent track to the consensual liaison, with the primary objective of maintaining amity and quiet. The system of Special Representatives, the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles, and the three-phase structure were all meant to address the state line issue, which was recognized as a complicated and delicate situation.
However, to manage border co
ncerns on a circadian basis, both the countries developed a mechanism entailing of instruments such as the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs) and a series of pacts, protocols, and CBMs to administer performance on the ground and make sure reconciliation and calm.
CONCLUSION
With reference to Mr Vikram Misri (Indian envoy to China) words – A significant breach of peace and quiet in border regions compels us to apply our thoughts in accordance with existing agreements, procedures, and methods for resolving it. As such, any shot to conflate border issues with the Boundary Question is a disfavour to those tasked with outcome answers. Therefore, the Indian side has been certain that the present-day dispute is near reinstating harmony and calm to the border zones, not about resolving the wider Boundary Question, on which India’s position has remained unchanged notwithstanding last year’s events.
Both nations participated in critical global discussions while pursuing their aims in a number of smaller forums whose members have common interests. As a result, India-China ties requisite be evaluated and bring about on their own virtues. They are significant and complicated ample that they deserve their own strategy and treatment, without phantom third variables confusing them further and diverting our attention away from our objectives.
The two countries must concentrate on the immediate challenges at hand and use a “sensitive and constructive problem-solving approach” while respecting each other’s inherent decision-making sovereignty. Properly addressing and processing differences is confronting them straight on, rather than pushing them under the rug. This strategy will help in taking the necessary steps to rehabilitate ties and overcome the current challenges without the conclusion seeming to be a victory or defeat for either side.
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