The cause of tension between China and India — Zamir Awan

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: “positive consensus” on resolving the latest border issue was achieved following “effective communication” through diplomatic and military channels. New Delhi said the two countries had agreed to “peacefully resolve” the border flare-up after a high-level meeting between army commanders. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had sought to ease the tensions at summits over the past two years when they agreed to boost border communications between their militaries.

Tensions flare on a fairly regular basis between the two regional powers over their 3,500-kilometre frontier, which has never been properly demarcated. Thousands of troops from the two nuclear-armed neighbors have been involved in the latest face-off since May in India’s Ladakh region, bordering Tibet – before signs in recent days that a resolution was in sight.

The recent issue arose when India fortified its position in Ladakh disputed territory, which India included in its union territory on August 5, 2019, unilaterally. In contrast, it was a recognized disputed territory, and both countries having a claim over the area. India was illegally trespassing and constructing defense facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region, leaving Chinese border troops no other option but to make necessary moves in response. India wants to build an airbase in the disputed territory. It is worth mentioning that, under a defense agreement, between the US and India, both countries can have access to each other’s military bases and have the right to use in case of any war-like situations. It was a direct threat to China if American uses Ladakh Airbase against China. That was the immediate concern of the Chinese side and left with no option to stop construction works in the disputed territory....

I have no way to verify this claim, but from the beginning it was clear that this was a dispute arising from strategic positioning in a military situation that can be compared to the Golan Heights, which is more familiar to Western readers.

The remainder of the post gives the details, into which Pakistan also figures. While this may seem arcane to Western readers, it is huge in Asia, where China and India are the gorillas in the room.

Russia is heavily invested in a Chinese, Indian, Pakistani  détente and smooth trade flows in the region, the US and UK are chiefly concerned with a Chinese-Indian strategic alliance that would soon dominate the world by sheer numbers that would matter economically, political and militarily as the two countries develop. Add Russia and Iran to this, and the West would be finished as the major economic, political and military power center.

The Vineyard of the Saker
The cause of tension between China and India
 Zamir Awan for the Saker Blog

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, is a Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.