Chinese Transgressions, Face-Offs Surge Along LAC: Official Data

The instances of face-offs at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) shot up considerably by 48 percent.

A signboard seen from the Indian side of the Indo-China border. Image for representational purposes. 

(Photo: Reuters)

Chinese transgressions into the Indian border shot up considerably from 271 instances in 2016 to 415 transgressions in 2017, official data has revealed. This comes at a time when India and China had engaged in a 73-day long stand-off over the Doklam issue at the Sikkim-Bhutan border.

According to the data, which was accessed by The Indian Express, the instances of face-offs at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) also shot up considerably by 48 percent.

The two countries have identified 23 hotspots across the LAC, where transgressions and face-offs generally take place.

(Graphic: Erum Gour/The Quint)

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ashok Kantha, former Indian Ambassador to China, said that while the increase in transgressions in itself was not significant, the pattern of transgressions had to be observed to identify any new spots.

Are these happening in the usual disputed areas or are they new areas, are the Chinese coming deeper? Only then can we understand the significance of this rise in the number of transgressions.

As told to<i> The Indian Express</i>

Yet another matter to be taken into consideration is that the LAC is a disputed area, which is based on perceptions drawn by both countries. Thus, every Chinese movement across India’s perception of the LAC is counted as a transgression.

Explaining this phenomenon, a top military official privy to Ladakh and Arunachal border issues told the daily that the numbers clearly indicate an increasing pattern in Chinese movement.

Over 52 percent of the transgressions result in a face-off. Speaking to The Indian Express, a top military official said that the ideal figure for face-offs would be 80 percent.

A break-up of the data will show that the number of face-offs vis-à-vis the number of intrusions is lesser in Arunachal. That is because of poor infrastructure on the ground, which needs urgent attention.

As told to <i>The Indian Express</i>

Official data also showed that 23 flag meetings had been held by the two countries since June 2016.

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)

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