Crisis at the top of the world: India is massing its army on the disputed Himalayan border with China after clashes with Xi Jinping’s forces in the region fueled fears of war between the nuclear-armed superpowers.
- India is moving thousands of its troops to the disputed border with China
- Earlier this month there were clashes between the troops of the two countries
- India’s foreign minister said they would “oppose” attempts to change the border
India has begun massing troops along its disputed border with China following a clash between armed forces of the two superpowers earlier this month.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said an unprecedented number of troops would be deployed along the 2,100-kilometer border with China.
Less than two weeks ago, the ‘invasion’ of Chinese soldiers raised fears of war leading to a clash with Indian troops.
The fresh incident on December 9, which followed recent joint military exercises near the US-India border, resulted in “minor injuries to (a) few personnel from both sides”, a source said.
India has begun massing thousands of troops along its disputed border with China after a clash between forces this month (pictured: clash between forces in 2021)
A map shows the border and locations of the conflict between India and China
Relations have been at rock bottom since clashes between the two nations left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers dead in June 2020.
‘Today we have a deployment of the Indian army on the Chinese border which we have never had before. It is done to counter China’s expansion, which has increased dramatically since 2020,’ Jaishankar said in Delhi on Monday.
India said the encounter was triggered by the “invasion” of Chinese troops, while China’s foreign ministry said the border situation was “generally stable”, the BBC reported.
The conflict takes place along a 2,100 mile long de facto border, called the Line of Actual Control.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (pictured) has said an unprecedented number of troops are being deployed along the 2,100-kilometer border with China.
A view of the road on the way to the Line of Actual Control, the India-China border, in Tawang, in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh
Indian and Chinese soldiers come face-to-face and sometimes end up fighting, but with hand-to-hand combat or with sticks and stones.
The latest skirmish took place along the disputed Himalayan border, following recent US-Indian military exercises near the border.
Chinese soldiers moved closer to the area along the Line of Actual Control, where both sides agreed that there would be no patrolling, the sources said.
This move was “…disputed by the (Indian) troops in a firm and firm manner,” a source said.
After the clash, both sides “immediately left the area”.
An Indian commander later held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart to “discuss restoration of peace and tranquility under structured mechanisms.”
The incident took place in the Tawang sector of India’s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, all of which is claimed by China. Beijing refers to the area as South Tibet.