Page 6 - The Indian EYE 123022

BIG STORY DECEMBER 30, 2022 | The Indian Eye 6

important consensus reached by the
leaders of the two countries, strictly
abide by the spirit of the relevant
agreements signed by the two sides
and that it will jointly maintain peace
and tranquility in the border region.
As for peace and tranquility in the
border region, it will obviously be a
question of not being too demand-
ing,” he said.
Last December 13 will definitely
remain a day rich in interstate ten-
sions in Asia-Pacific, he said, adding
that in East Asia, 3,000 km east of
Tawang, in the very sensitive Taiwan
Strait, the Chinese armed forces
were also at work, no longer on land
but in the air.
A week after Beijing imposed
new bans on the import of Taiwan-
ese food, beverages, alcohol and fish
products, the Taiwanese Ministry
of Defense deplored the presence
- without notice or prior agreement
from Taipei - of 21 Chinese aircraft
(including the volumetric never be-
fore seen of 18 H-6 nuclear bomb-
ers...!) in the Taiwanese air defense
zone. “The military threat from Bei-
jing is more serious than ever,” said
Guillard.
Admittedly, during the recent
20th Congress of the Chinese Com- The Chinese PLA has fortified its positions across the disputed border with India (Agencies)
munist Party in October in Beijing,
it was well understood that the new neighbors are part of it. They make it tiple restrictions. A dubious strategy they are completed, both military as
Grand Helmsman of the People’s possible to better divert the public’s and not without risk, of course. well as civilian vehicular movement
Republic (Xi Jinping) and his re- attention - and especially the anger Meanwhile, for countering Chi- would be a lot smoother. It will boost
newed and close guard intended in - from the subjects of frustration of nese aggression on the Line of Actu- not just infrastructure in the area but
the future to pursue a vigorous and the moment such as the economic al Control (LAC), the Union govern- tourism as well,” he further said.
assertive foreign policy, that the slowdown, the demonstrations of ex- ment is carrying out infrastructure Apart from road connectivi-
present evils and torments afflicting asperation and hostility at the end of development in the border areas of ty and other infrastructure devel-
China were the result of “external November in various large cities. Arunachal Pradesh. The chief engi- opment works, the government is
efforts aimed at containing and un- It is a fact that in the main Chi- neer of ‘Project Vartak’, Brig Raman working to strengthen mobile con-
dermining it”, and that the Party, the nese urban centers, the police pres- Kumar said that the Border Roads nectivity in Tawang and other bor-
people and the nation had to pre- ence has become significantly heavi- Organization (BRO) is developing dering areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
pare for “strong winds, rough waters er and more active since the rare and maintaining all road networks More mobile towers have been
and dangerous storms”.
and courageous popular mistrust of in the key border areas of west- installed in Tawang and other border
the “zero Covid” policy, even during ern Assam and western Arunachal areas of the Tawang district, along
However, is the best way to President Xi Jinping, month last. Pradesh. “We have national high- the LAC.
“prepare” for such prospects In the short term, the police over ways, single-lane roads, double-lane On internet connectivity, a resi-
mobilization on the Chinese nation- roads and other types of roads as dent said, “The mobile and internet
consist in raising the level of al territory could at the same time be well. We want to connect even the connectivity has improved but still it
external tension - already more coupled, outside, on the traditional far-flung areas of the Tawang district is not up to the mark. There are a lot
theaters of tension (Sino-Indian bor- and contribute to the socio-econom- of disturbances.”
than high - with India and the der, Taiwan, South China Sea), with ic development of this area,” he said. “If we compare from before,
He further informed that two
“rebel island”? It is of course al- a premeditated agitation: maneuvers tunnels -- the Sela tunnel and the the connectivity has improved a lot.
maritime attacks around the “rebel
Earlier, we were not able to use the
lowed to doubt it, said Guillard. island” and repeated aerial incur- Nechipu tunnel -- are under con- internet but now we can even use
sions; skirmishes with Indian troops struction as vehicular movement be- Facebook and WhatsApp. The gov-
No doubt we should rather think on the “Actual Line of Control”, as comes difficult due to heavy snowfall ernment has worked very well in
that the regime is deliberately work- in recent days. during winter. “The Sela tunnel is these areas,” another resident said.
ing to direct the gaze of its constit- Beijing’s power circles reported- under construction and is 400 me- As the Chinese army makes dan-
uents towards consensual nationalist ly prefer diplomatic wrath from New ters below Sela pass. Once the tun- gerous moves on the border, India
external disputes. Delhi, Taipei or the West, to the do- nel is completed, people will be able responds in a measured but resolute
The fate of Taiwan and the re- mestic ire of a population battered to pass through it even in winter. manner. The world too is taking no-
unification of China, as well as the by the consequences of three inter- We are also working on the Nechipu tice of what China is doing and what
territorial disputes with certain minable years of pandemic and mul- tunnel, near the Nechipu pass. Once is happening inside China.

www.TheIndianEYE.com