Foreign News
China’s Intrusions Into Arunachal Pradesh: Shadow Over BRICS?
As India readies to host the BRICS summit in Delhi later this year, the buzz is China’s Xi Jinping could come. But what happens in the event of an incident on the disputed boundary involving Chinese troops?
Will India stand firm, counter the Chinese troops on the ground and demand that they pull back or will India fold, anxious that nothing be said or done that could jeopardise Xi’s visit?
These are some of the concerns on the horizon amid reports of intrusions by Chinese troops into Upper Subansiri of Arunachal Pradesh.
A report in the Arunachal Times claims that “PLA troops have effectively denied Indian forces access to key patrolling points in the Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district and are steadily expanding control over traditional Indian grazing and hunting grounds along the LAC.”
Other reports have warned of “aggressive patrolling” by the PLA in the Iphi twin lakes area of West Dibang, close to the Zirkyen La mountain pass proximate to the LAC. Also in Fish Tail-1 again in the Dibang Valley, and Fish Tail-II in the Anjaw district further south.
The reports also mentioned the Karbi Karpo mountain range in eastern Tibet which touches the McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh. But there’s more.
Lt Gen S L Narasimhan, (Retd) who served in the area and was defence attache in Beijing, told StratNewsGlobal that “We need to be careful all along the LAC particularly in the Eastern Sector. There have been precedence of face-offs like the one that happened in Dec 2022 in the area of Yangtse. In that incident hundreds of PLA troops tried to intrude into Indian territory.”
Since Indian positions overlook Chinese territory in the area, the army was able to mobilise sufficient forces to block and push them back.
“It could be anytime,” Narasimhan said, adding that “in the December 2022 confrontation, there were minor injuries incurred by both sides before the Chinese gave up.”
The focus on Arunachal may stem from the Chinese sense that Ladakh, where close to 50,000 troops from either side have been deployed since the Galwan clash in 2020, may not be vulnerable to intrusions.
In the Middle Sector too (comprising Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), although there are some sticking points, the two sides understand each other’s view of the LAC.
That leaves Arunachal and China claims all of it. Curiously there was no mention in last week’s meeting of the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India China Border Affairs) about the Chinese intrusion although the sense is it would have been discussed.
China has already objected to India’s exercise last week in formally identifying 27 places and features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names. This was done on the official Survey of India maps, thereby lending clarity, strengthening official documentation and underscoring India’s rights to the state.
But with a major diplomatic summit on hand and the visit of a key leader at stake, India could end up on the horns of a dilemma if the Chinese intrude, creating flash points at a sensitive time.