India – China Border Tensions

India – China Border Tensions

Context:

  • Recently, The Indian and Chinese soldiers faced off in the Tawang region’s Yangtse area boundary between China and India.
  • The Tawang clash was the most serious scuffle between the opposing parties ever since the clash in Galwan Valley in 2020.
  • According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), The conflict that erupted in December was because of new road construction on the Chinese side enabling access to the Yangste plateau’s important places easier than it was a year ago.

Significance of Tawang:

  • Between China and Bhutan, there is a strategically significant Indian area called Tawang. China’s border with the area forms a portion of the The Line of Actual Control, sometimes known as the LAC, is the de facto yet unresolved India–China border.
  • The Yangtse plateau in Tawang is significant to both the Chinese and Indian forces. A large portion of the region may be seen from the plateau, which has a peak elevation of more than 5,700 metres above sea level.
  • India’s dominance of the ridgeline that makes up the LAC is crucial because it enables it to stop Chinese surveillance of roads leading to the Sela Pass, a vital mountain pass that is the sole way in and out of Tawang.
  • An all-weather tunnel through the pass is being built by India and is scheduled to be finished in 2023.

The Infrastructure Status:

  • The recent fight between Chinese and Indian troops on the Yangtse plateau is because of the new infrastructure construction.
  • China’s tactical inferiority has been offset strategically by its ability to send ground forces into the area quickly.
  • The PLA continues to be at a disadvantage in local engagements because more Indian soldiers are stationed along the commanding ridgeline that makes up the LAC.
  • However, in a more serious confrontation, the PLA’s resilient transport system and related surge capacity could prove crucial, especially as compared to the less dependable roads that Indian forces would have to use.

 Source The Hindu

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