India is set to deploy an additional 10,000 troops and redesignate more troops to the restive border with China as the tensions between the two Asian giants prevail.
"A 10,000-strong unit of soldiers previously assigned to the country's western border has now been set aside to guard a stretch of its frontier with China," Bloomberg reported on March 7, citing senior Indian officials.
India has freed thousands of soldiers previously stationed on the country's western border, now reallocating them to fortify its frontier with China.
India has escalated its military readiness along its contentious border with China, marking a potential increase in tensions between the nuclear weapons-armed nations. The recalibration of forces comes in the backdrop of a violent skirmish in June 2020 in the Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh region, representing the first deadly clash along the disputed border in over four decades.
China and India have previously fought a deadly war in 1962 over the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), a patchwork of boundary lines that separate the two giants. Both countries have a differing perception of the LAC, with overlapping territorial claims in certain sections of the boundary.
Meanwhile, India's defense minister, Rajnath Singh, warned New Delhi that it would give a befitting reply to any country if attacked, while obliquely pointing at China.
"Whether from land, air, or sea, if anyone attacks India, our forces will respond firmly. We have never attacked any country nor have occupied even an inch of anyone's land. But, if anyone bats an eyelid at us, we are in a position to give a befitting reply," Singh said at the NDTV Defence Summit 2024 on Thursday.
The physical skirmish in June 2020 resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian troops and at least four Chinese soldiers as the two sides boosted their military presence along the contested border. The incident led to an ongoing military standoff in the Eastern Ladakh region, with both nations maintaining a significant military presence, which is estimated to exceed 50,000 soldiers on each side in the area to date.
Chinese and Indian armies have held 21 rounds of talks to resolve the ongoing border stand-off, most recent round of talks was held on February 19 at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point in Eastern Ladakh.
Meanwhile, a Chinese defense ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, recently commented on the 21st round of talks by saying Beijing hopes India and China will meet each other halfway.
"China attaches great importance to the military-to-military relations between China and India, and hopes that India and China will meet each other halfway, enhance mutual trust, properly handle differences, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas." Zhang said during the defense ministry's monthly press conference on February 29.
In a statement following the 21st round of talks, the Indian side has demanded the complete disengagement of troops from the remaining areas where troops from both sides remain deployed. China has stopped acknowledging India's demand for the disengagement of troops.
"The above remarks are inconsistent with the facts," Zhang responded to India's statement demanding disengagement.
Further intensifying the military stance, Bloomberg reported that an existing contingent of 9,000 soldiers, already designated for the disputed border with China, would also come under a newly established fighting command.
"The combined force will guard a 532 km (330.57 miles) stretch of border that separates China's Tibet region with India's northern states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh," Bloomberg reported.
The deployment, backed by dedicated artillery and air support, underscores the strategic importance and increasing sensitivity of this region in India's defense strategy, Bloomberg reported.
Newsweek contacted China's Embassy in New Delhi for comment. Newsweek also contacted India's Ministry of External Affairs for comment.
In February, Amit Shah, India's home affairs minister, accused China of attempting to replicate the conditions of the 1962 war, a conflict that has long influenced Sino-Indian relations.
"During this period, when the COVID pandemic was raging, China showed its real face, like in 1962. We stood firmly to it and didn't lose an inch of land," Shah remarked in a statement reported by Newsweek.
His comments, made in Lok Sabha, India's lower house of parliament, reflect New Delhi's firm stance against Beijing's aggression and the ongoing strategic challenges along the LAC, a disputed 2,100-mile border area.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
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