By Siddhartha Tripathy
Actions speak louder than words.
It has been seven months since the People’s Liberation Army instigated the Galwan Valley skirmish along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops. There have been multiple rounds of diplomatic and military-level talks between both sides, in which Beijing expressed its commitment to maintaining peace along the border with India and has urged New Delhi to do the same.
Yet the Chinese have not backed off from the positions on traditionally Indian-patrolled territory that they were found to have intruded into surreptitiously last year. They have retained a massive military buildup across the LAC in Depsang Plains.
And now, just after the ninth round of senior commander-level talks between the two sides were held yesterday (January 24) towards diffusing the protracted tensions along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, reports have been coming about yet another confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops that happened on January 20 at the high-altitude border area of Naku La in northern Sikkim.
As per government sources close to this development, the clash happened after Indian troops stopped a Chinese patrolling party in its bid to intrude into Indian territory. No firearms were used, reportedly, but soldiers from both sides sustained injuries from a nasty brawl.
Although the Indian Army issued a statement that the matter was “resolved as per established protocols” at the local commander level, the incident has raised fresh concerns and speculation about China’s intentions behind opening up another front of confrontation with India.
Interestingly, this was for the second time that troops from the two sides came to blows at Naku La – the first being in May last year, after their clash at Pangong Tso triggered the latest round of Indo-China border tensions that are continuing until now.
Some geostrategic experts reckon that the Chinese are aggressively posturing to test India’s confidence in its recently bolstered defence capabilities. Others say it is a part of China’s plans to send a message across to the world, particularly to US President Joe Biden, about its formidable military might and its current elevated place in the world hierarchy. China’s recent incursions into the waters off Japan-administered Senkaku Islands and the air space of Taiwan seem to strongly support that notion.
As for the faceoff in Naku La sector, Beijing is noncommittal: It has neither admitted to nor denied what happened there on January 20, let alone comment on the whys and wherefores of it all. However, the Chinese foreign ministry told at its press meeting held earlier today (January 25) that the PLA troops remain resolved to upholding peace and quiet along China’s border with India.
Given the way the PLA has acted along the border over the past nine months, making numerous intrusions attempts and illegal infrastructure construction in disputed areas, Beijing’s assurances sound like empty words that no one is buying just yet.
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