NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Yangtse area of Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh last week, the first such encounter between the neighbours since the deadly Galwan valley incident in June 2020.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has intruded across the LAC in the sector several times in the past to damage unoccupied bunkers and other infrastructure on the Indian side. Yangtse, in particular, has been witnessing frequent face-offs between the rival armies.
Army chief General Manoj Pande last month had described the situation on the frontier with China as “stable but unpredictable”, adding that the PLA has neither reduced its forces on the LAC, nor let up in infrastructure development for faster troop mobility and connectivity.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday informed Parliament that Chinese troops tried to cross the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh to "unilaterally change the status quo" but were forced to retreat due to "timely intervention of Indian military commanders".
"On December 9, 2022, People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the LAC in Yangtse area of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner. The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts," said Singh.
The clash
The incident took place on December 9 after 300-400 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) intruded across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which was "contested" by Indian soldiers deployed there "in a firm and resolute manner". At least six wounded Indian soldiers were evacuated to the military hospital in Guwahati, a source said.Disengagement
Both sides have since disengaged from the area and military commanders have met to discuss the matter.The Army, in a statement, said: "Both sides immediately disengaged from the area. Our commander in the area held a flag meeting with his (PLA) counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity."A volatile border
Tensions along the LAC have simmered since the June 2020 clash — the worst in more than 40 years — left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. According to reports, over 40 Chinese soldiers were killed in the Galwan clashes. That fighting was centred around the Himalayan region of Ladakh, along their disputed 3,488-kilometre border known as the Line of Actual Control.China's claim
Arunachal Pradesh, the scene of Friday's violence, was where much of the 1962 India-China war played out. Beijing claims the Indian state as part of its territory, calling it 'southern Tibet'.India has deployed a large number of troops in Tawang to thwart any misadventure by the PLA. Several times in the past, PLA troops have intruded across the LAC in the sector to damage unoccupied bunkers and other infrastructure.Yangtse, in particular, has been witnessing frequent face-offs between the rival armies. In October 2021, for instance, PLA had also tried to gain access to a 17,000-foot peak in Yangtse but was thwarted by alert Indian soldiers deployed in the area.The latest clash comes as the two sides have made significant progress to diffuse tensions in the western sector of LAC — some 16 rounds of talks between military commanders on both sides have taken place — and have moved their troops back from some locations where the 2020 skirmishes were located.Meanwhile...
Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar will be on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka from Tuesday, which comes amidst Chinese spy ships taking Colombo's help in refuelling and replenishment during their long-range forays into the Indian Ocean Region.In early-August, India had conveyed its serious concerns to Sri Lanka about the docking of Chinese research and space-tracking vessel, Yuan Wang-5, at its southern port of Hambantota.
