Chinese Transgressions Along LAC Shouldn’t Alarm India Much

Transgressions by China have become a routine affair and don’t pose a threat to India, writes Surya Gangadharan.

(Photo: Lijumol Joseph/ The Quint)

It’s high summer along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China, the snows are melting, heralding the inevitable season of transgressions.

The first, we are informed, took place in Yangtse near Bum-La, in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, when a Chinese army or border patrol entered Indian territory. One is not certain if this is the first transgression of the season as it is impossible to man the entire length of the LAC. It is therefore impossible to be sure about the exact number of transgressions over the course of any year.

There is uncertainty over just how many Chinese troops crossed over. Some reports have placed their strength at 250 men because generally Chinese patrols are of roughly that strength. They are also easily spotted moving towards the Indian claim line as they tend to be located in secured shelters well behind the LAC. The Indian army is deployed more or less on the LAC, thereby giving it enough time to move into intercept positions and block further ingress.

Is it Usual?

Senior officers who have served in these areas say such interactions are fairly predictable:  The standard territorial claims are made and reiterated, both sides stand their ground, the “banner drill” is gone through, which is basically the display of a set of signboards in Mandarin and English, appealing to the other side to go back, and underscoring friendship.

There are times when “push comes to shove”, as videos telecast on a private television channel have shown. But no shots have been exchanged in all these years and after a while, calm returns.

It’s not the ideal situation. If China’s muscle flexing in the South China Sea is any indication, there’s no reason why India will be let off. And currently both countries are head-to-head over Beijing’s refusal to allow Delhi into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Muscle Flexing On The LAC

• Media reports suggest that on June 9 around 250 Chinese soldiers intruded into Indian territory in Yangtze area of East Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh).
  
• On June 15, China rejects allegations of incursion, says soldiers were carrying out normal patrols.
  
• China’s incursions come at a time when Beijing is resisting India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
  
• During his visit to China in April, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had proposed sorting out issues around the Line of Actual Control, and suggested proper border management.
  

China’s Mindgames

Is that the reason for the transgressions? Clearly no. Transgressions are a means for China to reiterate its claims to territory which India sees as its own. It’s at the core of their border dispute and they went to war over it more than 50 years ago. But diplomatic hostilities can and do get reflected on the ground.

Two years ago, during President Xi Jinping’s visit to India, a Chinese army patrol set up camp in a desolate stretch of the Ladakh desert and refused to budge. If the Chinese could do this at a time when their president was in India, it is indicative of how deeply Beijing views its national interest.

It’s also a mind game.  Such incidents give the impression that China has the upper hand and India is on the defensive, continually reacting to Chinese moves and counter-moves. And since Chinese transgressions are widely reported and debated in India, the sense of China’s power is evident in the media.

Members of the honuor guard march as they prepare for a welcome ceremony for President Pranab Mukherjee outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 26, 2016. (Photo: AP)

Transgressions Will Continue

Not that India is some goody two-shoes always playing by the book. Nobody will admit this, but Indian troops do go across into Chinese territory, plant a flag, generally mark their presence with cigarette packets bearing Indian markings before departing. These never get reported in the controlled Chinese media and one is given to understand it’s all about prestige: The Chinese military would not want their people to know that India walks through their territory.

So two can play the same game and it’s not that it gets either side any closer to resolving the border dispute. China is in no hurry. Its military infrastructure in Tibet is complete and continues to expand; its forces are larger; the mandarins believe they have the physical and psychological edge over India.

India will admit China’s superior military strength at least in numbers, and infrastructure on our side is still in the making. But China has not fought a war since 1979, when its ill-conceived operation to teach little Vietnam a lesson ended with a bloody nose for the mandarins. Comparatively, the Indian army has had little respite, whether taking on Pakistan on the battlefield or its terrorist surrogates.

So both sides have their relative strengths and India certainly doesn’t want war. Nor for that matter does China, but there’s little doubt a section in the military establishment there would love to repeat ’62. In the interim, transgressions will probably continue.

(Surya Gangadharan is former international affairs editor, CNN-IBN and NDTV. He can be reached at @suryagang)

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