Should India be concerned about China’s activities around LAC?

India

oi-Jagdish N Singh

Since
the
Doklam
crisis
of
2017,
China
has
more
than
doubled
its
total
number
of
air
bases,
air
defence
positions,
and
heliports
along
the
border.
China
has
also
inducted
a
large
number
of
state-of-the-art
medium
and
light
tanks
along
the
LAC.

Communist
China’s
Xinjiang
military
command
has
recently
tested
an
updated
short-range
surface-to-air
defence
missile
system
in
the
“Karakoram
plateau
region”
near
the
India
border.
Should
India
be
concerned?

Observers
say
the
history
of
communist
China’s
aggression
towards
India
hardly
needs
to
be
emphasized.
Currently,
Beijing
is
showing
little
inclination
to
restoring
the
status
quo
that
existed
on
the
India-China
border
prior
to
its
April
2020
transgressions.
Chinese
and
Indian
troops
are
still
engaged
in
a
prolonged
stand-off
in
eastern
Ladakh.
The
two
sides
have
so
far
held
16
rounds
of
Corps
Commander-level
talks
to
resolve
the
stand-off.
But
in
vain.
They
are
yet
to
make
any
headway
in
the
friction
areas
in
Hot
Springs,
Demchok
and
Depsang.
Beijing
is
also
backing
Islamabad
to
take
on
New
Delhi
on
the
Kashmir
issue.

China’s
military
modernization
programme
is
going
fast
forward.
China’s
arsenal
could
grow
to
1,000
warheads
by
2030
from
about
350
now.
The
People’s
Liberation
Army
is
determined
to
improve
its
infrastructure
along
the
western
borders
–
particularly
in
forward
areas
close
to
China’s
Line
of
Actual
Control
(LAC)
with
India.
Since
the
Doklam
crisis
of
2017,
China
has
more
than
doubled
its
total
number
of
air
bases,
air
defence
positions,
and
heliports
along
the
border.
China
has
also
inducted
a
large
number
of
state-of-the-art
medium
and
light
tanks
along
the
LAC.China’s
approach
towards
its
borders
with
India
is
similar
to
the
one
it
has
had
towards
its
neighbours
in
the
South
China
Sea.
In
addition
to
the
development
of
infrastructure,
China
has
been
deploying
more
air
defense
systems
and
fighter
aircraft
to
its
existing
facilities
along
the
LAC.

Combat
drills
by
China’s
aircraft
carrier
in
South
China
Sea
amidst
tensions
with
China

India
must
pay
due
attention
to
its
own
infrastructure
development
in
its
border
areas
with
China.
New
Delhi
should
continue
to
upgrade
its
overall
military
capabilities,
particularly
in
those
fields
where
it
has
serious
capability
gaps
vis-a-vis
China.

It
is
assuring
to
learn
that
our
Army
is
speeding
up
the
procurement
of
the
indigenous
Indian
light
tank
named
‘Zorawar’,
for
deployment
in
our
mountains
along
the
LAC.
In
addition,
the
Army
will
be
inducting
niche
technologies
such
as
loitering
munitions,
anti-drone
capabilities
and
next
generation
Intelligence,
Surveillance
and
Reconnaissance
(ISR)
capabilities.
This
would
improve
our
Army’s
operational
capabilities
in
the
region.

Our
External
Affairs
Minister
S
Jaishankar
is
being
very
careful
about
stressing
the
need
for
greater
cooperation
between
India
and
China.
Speaking
at
Chulalongkorn
University
in
Thailand
last
week,
he
said,
“The
Asian
century
will
be
difficult
if
India
and
China
don’t
come
together.”
At
the
same
time,
he
admitted
that
the
relationship
between
New
Delhi
and
Beijing
was
going
through
an
‘extremely
difficult
phase’.

(Jagdish
N.
Singh
is
a
senior
journalist
based
in
New
Delhi.
He
is
also
Senior
Distinguished
Fellow
at
the
Gatestone
Institute,
New
York)

Disclaimer:
The
opinions
expressed
in
this
article
are
the
personal
opinions
of
the
author.
The
facts
and
opinions
appearing
in
the
article
do
not
reflect
the
views
of
OneIndia
and
OneIndia
does
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or
liability
for
the
same.