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BIG STORY DECEMBER 23, 2022 | The Indian Eye 5

the border area that adjoins India. Se-
nior Colonel Long Shaohua described
a “routine patrol” that occurred “on
the Chinese side of the Line of Actu-
al Control (LAC)” on 9 December.
Long said these troops “encountered
obstruction from the Indian troops
who illegally crossed the LAC”.
The PLA spokesperson further
added that “the Chinese side de-
mands that the Indian side should
strictly discipline and control its front-
line troops and work with the Chinese
side to maintain peace and tranquility
in the border areas”. In other words,
the PLA was an innocent victim and
India was the provocateur. This is
nothing strange from the Chinese
side.
At every opportunity, the PLA
attempts to gain advantages on the
ground in the Himalayas, and it is un-
afraid to provoke. The disputed bor-
der is a critical component of Beijing’s
relationship with India, and it will
continue to be a stress point in their
bilateral relationship. One thing that
has become clear in Xi’s decade-long
tenure is that he does not like to sit Members of the Tibetan NGOs and people holding placards stage a protest against the India-China border issue in the Tawang sector of
idle and is never content with the sta-
tus quo. Arunachal Pradesh, at McLeod Ganj, in Dharamshala on Thursday (ANI)
It is no surprise, then, that China
shows contempt for past agreements Chinese outposts, so the PLA would Su-30MKI fighters several times in The closest major PLA Air Force
such as the Border Peace and Tran- obviously like to take this advantage response to aggressive Chinese un- (PLAAF) airbase to the Tawang sec-
quility Agreement of 1993 and other away from India. manned aerial vehicle (UAV) activity. tor is Lhasa Gonggar Airport since
confidence-building measures since A Chinese troop build-up seems Opposite the sector, a PLA camp the nearer Shannan Longzi Airport
then. As recently as September, Chi- to have commenced in late Novem- at Thagla Ridge, and more expansive is currently still under construction.
na and India pledged to de-escalate ber when the frequency of face-offs facilities at Cona. There is a PLA However, it appears that Shigatse
border tensions. with India started to spike. Before camp at Cona, for instance, as well as Airport in Tibet may be the main for-
Since the bloody clash at Galwan the Tawang clash on 9 December, a nearby helipad. Also, farther north, ward airbase as the PLAAF supports
Valley in mid-2020, the PLA intensi- the Indian Air Force had scrambled is a radar electronic intelligence site. troops on the ground.
fied patrols elsewhere, including dou-
bling their frequency at Tawang and
elsewhere in Arunachal. China preparing for war, says Rahul; Govt rebuffs claim
Indeed, the Indian military had
already registered the importance of lagging a “clear threat from China” amid the on- “deepen his understanding”.
the Tawang area to the PLA. For ex- going border row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi The Congress leader also questioned the media and
ample, visits by senior PLA officials Fon Friday claimed that the neighboring country is said that it would not ask questions to him over the on-
jumped from ten over a two-year peri- “preparing for war” and alleged that the Centre is “hid- going border row with China.
od prior to the Galwan crisis, to more ing and not accepting it”. “The ones who captured 2,000 sq km of India and
than 40 in 2020-21. The Indian Army In an apparent reference to the recent faceoff be- killed 20 Indian soldiers, and are thrashing our soldiers
assessed this was “due to the impor- tween the Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal in Arunachal Pradesh. I said to my friend that the Indian
tance of the sector, current operation- Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9, Gandhi said media would not ask me questions about it,” he said.
al situation and familiarization visits”. that China is making an “offensive preparation on the But Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad
A Pentagon spokesperson said side of Ladakh and Arunachal” while the Indian gov- Joshi on Friday hit out at former Congress national
the US Department of Defense “is ernment “is in slumber”. “There is a clear threat from president Rahul Gandhi over his remark flagging ‘clear
closely watching the developments China. The government is trying to hide it and ignore threats’ from alleged Chinese incursions into Indian ter-
along the LAC at the border. We’ve it. But that threat cannot be ignored or hidden. China is ritory, accusing the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation of “taking
seen the PRC continues to amass forc- making offensive preparation on the side of Ladakh and money from China”.
es and build territory infrastructure.” Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian government is in slum- Speaking to ANI on Friday, the BJP MP said, “Rajiv
In the Yangtse sector, China has ber. It doesn’t want to hear it. China is preparing for war, Gandhi Foundation took money from China. It tantamount
developed a new road leading up to not for an incursion,” he said while addressing a press to corruption.” He further claimed that India lost territory
the disputed border from a village. conference here. to China under its first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
The creation of such infrastructure is “If you see the pattern of their weapons, they are “Lots of land and our permanent membership of
an indicator of preparations for new preparing for war. Our government is hiding it and is not the UN was lost to China because of the mistakes made
territorial probes, and this seems the accepting it,” he added. Rahul also lashed out at Exter- by our first PM Jawaharlal Nehru. Rahul Gandhi should
case here. Yangtse, at an altitude of nal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and said that he should not be taken seriously,” Joshi said.
15,000-15,500 feet, offers views of

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