The uncertainty of world events has led to drastic measures taken by every other country. But some things never change for India-China, their relationship keeps deteriorating with every passing day. Even the COVID-19 pandemic was unable to heal the relation.
India has dispatched 50,000 army men to the China border, bringing the total number of troops to 2,00,00. The focus has been shifted from Pakistan to China, this is the largest deployment by India in history so far.
As per the Ministry of External Affairs, the move was to alter the status quo at LAC (Line of Actual Control) responsible for border standoff due to China’s acts of Hoarding troops.
China’s actions have violated bilateral governments including the 1993 and 1996 agreements. Keeping this in mind, the S-400 Air Defense System has been placed on the India-China border, bolstering India’s defence capabilities significantly.
History:
For the last six months, India and China have been arguing along the disputed Himalayan border of Ladakh, and the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has conducted more than 100 manoeuvres near the LAC in Tibet.
President Xi Jinping has honoured and referred to troops who died in the Galwan Clash as “heroes.” In Beijing’s People’s Hall of Fame, he presented these Heroes with red and gold medals emblazoned with hammer and sickle symbols.
Current Situation:
India and China now have equal troops in terms of deployment at the LAC. Interestingly, Punjab sends the most jawans to the Indian Army than any other North Indian State while Harayana sends the highest to the Airforce and Navy.
Preparation:
China has deployed young Tibetian militias near the Sikkim border as most Chinese troops cannot perform in the High-Altitude. While India has made a special policy (High Altitude Warfare Training), where soldiers are sent off to an altitude of 9 to 12 degrees for six days to adapt themselves to adverse situations.
This raises the question, Has China become India’s enemy No. 1? because till now, India has deployed a total of 2 lakh soldiers on the LAC with China. We cannot eliminate the possibility of war, but preparedness at the LAC is a plus point.