Chinese, Indian troops in stand-off at Ladakh

[Mugwop]

Look at Post#192 who gave that homo habilis a keyboard

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahom...-Chinese-watch-tower-built-disputed-land.html

This is the truth

 

[Hindustani78]

Beijing, August 16, 2017 16:48 IST
Updated: August 16, 2017 20:58 IST

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...-says-china/article19502854.ece?homepage=true



Indian border guards on Tuesday foil Chinese soldiers' bid to enter Indian territory in Ladakh, resulting in pelting of stones that cause minor injuries to people on both sides.

China on Wednesday said it was not aware of an alleged intrusion by its troops in the Ladakh sector, which was followed by a scuffle with Indian forces near the Pangong lake.

In response to a question on the reported incident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said she was “not aware of the information”.

She stressed that the troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) always undertook patrols on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). “The Chinese side is committed to peace and tranquillity on the China-India border,” she said.

Minor injuries
The Indian troops apparently stopped the Chinese forces from crossing over to the Indian side of the LAC, leading to an unarmed clash. The brawl, in which stone-throwing was involved, caused minor injuries on both sides.

The report of the scuffle has fed into tensions in the Doklam plateau in the Sikkim sector, where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a lengthy stand-off.

Ms. Hua urged “the Indian side [to] abide by the LAC and relevant conventions between the two sides”. Analysts point out that as India and China do not have a common understanding of the LAC alignment, border patrols inadvertently run into each other.

New Delhi, August 16, 2017 21:38 IST
Updated: August 16, 2017 21:39 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ladakh-stone-pelting-surprises-officials/article19504062.ece

A file photo of Army patrol teams being briefed along the Line of Actual Control with China. | Photo Credit: Dinakar Peri

Standoffs between Indian, Chinese troops in the region almost routine in the summer months

While standoffs in the Ladakh region between Indian and Chinese troops are almost routine in the summer months, what surprised officials was the pelting of stones between the two sides on Independence Day.

On Wednesday, a day after the incident, the two sides held a flag meeting at the Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) point at Chushul in eastern Ladakh.

At least one ITBP man sustained head injuries, according to officials who briefed The Hindu about the dramatic standoff that began around 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

The stone-pelting took place when the two sides were retreating after a face-off at Finger Four and Finger Five near Pangong Lake on August 15. The standoffs lasted half-an-hour each.

The scuffle at Finger Four took place at 6 a.m., and the one at Finger Five at 7.30 a.m. The two sides took positions and the situation was defused by 9 a.m., officials said.

A top government source said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh has been deteriorating since April.

There have been occasional scuffles and jostling among the troops in recent weeks, and on a few occasions there have been fisticuffs. “Incidents and issues to ensure strengthening of the existing mechanism for maintaining peace and tranquillity were discussed,” one Army source said.

One-third of the lake is controlled by India and two-thirds by China though each side has claims over the remaining part.

Incursion attempts
“Every month, there are two-three incursion attempts in the Finger area,” said another official.

Of the 135 km-long lake, 45 km is with India and 90 km with China. The mountains sloping on the sides of the river form finger-like structures. As per this, India holds till Finger Four but claims till Finger 8, while China holds from Finger 8 beyond but claims till Finger Four. So to enforce their claims each side regularly patrols till their claim area.

“We normally stop them at Finger Five area. That is when scuffles happen. Stone-pelting is not unusual. It happens once in a while. This time due to Independence Day and the ongoing standoff at Doklam it got noticed,” a defence source said.

As stones were traded on one side, the two armies also exchanged sweets on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. Army sources confirmed that “sweets were exchanged between Indian Army & PLA troops at multiple border locations including in the area of Doklam.”

However, the ceremonial BPM normally held to commemorate national days did not take place.

There are five BPM points along the LAC at Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, Daulat Beg Oldi and Chushul in Ladakh and Nathu La in Sikkim. Discussions are on to set up another BPM in Uttarakhand.

“I am not aware of the information. I can tell you that the Chinese border troops are always committed to maintain peace and tranquillity of the India-China border,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...n-in-ladakh/article19553208.ece?homepage=true

The move signals a sharper polarisation of Beijing’s ties in the subcontinent, following the Doklam crisis.

China on Thursday slammed India for apparently building a new road in the Ladakh sector, but lavished praise on Pakistan as its key partner. The move signals a sharper polarisation of Beijing’s ties in the subcontinent, following the Doklam crisis.

“It seems that Indian side is slapping its own face,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, in response to reports that India was building a road between Marsimik La to Hot Spring. The area is not far from the Pangong lake in Ladakh, where there was an unarmed clash between Indian and Chinese troops earlier this month.

Ms. Hua’s warning that the decision to build a road could boomerang on India, came in the backdrop of the crisis in the Doklam plateau, where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a lengthy stand-off.

“Now, the current road construction in that area by the Indian side is not conducive to peace and stability in that area. It will not help with settlement of the current situation,” Ms. Hua said, referring to the face-off in the Sikkim sector.

The spokesperson also accused India of adopting a contradictory stance, in view of New Delhi’s objections to Chinese road construction in the Doklam plateau, which had triggered the face-off. “Indian side is closely following China’s road building recently but India’s action itself has proven that the Indian side says something and does another,” she said, observing that: “Its words are complete contradictions to its deeds on the border issues.”

The foreign ministry also accused India of changing the status quo by stressing that the “western section of China- India boundary has not been delimited and two sides have agreed to uphold peace and tranquillity before the disputes are settled.”

China praises Pakistan
In sharp contrast to its position on India, China on Thursday backed Pakistan as its partner in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Ms. Hua also cited a conversation on Wednesday between US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China’s state councillor Yang Jeichei, where he commended Pakistan on its role in Afghanistan. The phone call followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s South Asia policy statement, where he had cited shortcomings in Pakistan’s counter-terrorism approach.

But quoting Mr. Yang, the spokesperson said: “We also value Pakistan’s role in the Afghanistan issue and respect Pakistan’s sovereign and reasonable security concerns.”

Separately, when asked to comment Pakistan’s foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua’s visit to China, Ms. Hua said that China and Pakistan are “all-weather strategic partners and we have always given each other support for our core concerns and interests.”

“Against the current backdrop we appreciate Pakistan’s efforts in insuring security… in CPEC,” she said.

The visiting foreign secretary, is believed to have assured the Chinese side that there was no shift in Islamabad’s policy towards Beijing after the exit of Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister. Ms. Hua said the visiting official underscored that “China is Pakistan’s ‘iron friend’ and it will never change its policy towards Pakistan no matter how the domestic situation varies. It will remain committed to CPEC and promoting advancement in our bilateral relations.”

Ms. Janjua’s arrival in Beijing follows the visit to Islamabad by China’s Vice Premier Wang Yang, to celebrate 70 years of Pakistan’s independence.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...lam-lt-gen-praveen-bakshi/article21383282.ece

Former Lt-General says an officer walked across and warned Chinese troops

When the confrontation with Chinese troops at Doklam started earlier this year, a Brigade Commander walked across and warned Chinese troops to move back, says Lieutenant-General Praveen Bakshi (retd.), who as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Army Command, was responsible for operations in the region when the two sides engaged in the prolonged standoff.

Only his sahayak accompanied the Brigadier as he walked across to the Chinese side to caution them from coming forward, Gen. Bakshi said at the Military Literature Festival organised by the Punjab government in Chandigarh on Friday.

The standoff began on June 16 when the Chinese troops entered the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan to construct a road.

Two days later, 270-plus Indian troops with bulldozers entered the area to stop them.

The standoff ended on August 28, when both sides announced troop withdrawal.

Full autonomy
“Complete operational autonomy had been delegated to the commanders on ground and we were geared up for a long haul,” said Gen. Bakshi, who was overlooked for the post of the Chief of the Army Staff by the Modi government in favour of Gen. Bipin Rawat.

“As we saw Doklam coming, additional formations had been moved to the area beforehand and the troops were well acclimatised,” he said.

Gen. Bakshi also said that the operational coordination among all the agencies was effective and well in place.

He said they assessed that the chance of an all-out war was very low, but expected a skirmish to break out or China to open another front.

‘Refused to back down’
The just-retired Lt. General said Indian troops had formed human chains and refused to back down.

During close surveillance, Indian troops picked up a few instances of the Chinese troops breaking ranks in the night.

Though the standoff formally ended, the situation on the ground has not been a real return to status quo.

The Chinese have managed to construct new bunkers and deployed soldiers in forward positions, according to the Army.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/na...ild-up-of-air-power-us-think-tank/534549.html

India and China continue with a build of air power around the Doklam plateau, where the armies of the two nations were locked in a 73-day standoff.

“The imagery confirms that both China and India are pursuing a wide-ranging strategic buildup that has only accelerated in the wake of the August agreement (to dis-engage),” says the ‘Stratfor’ report ‘Preparing for a rematch at the top of the world’ released hours before the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.


The Tribune has accessed the documents put out by the think-tank.

The US think-tank said it had done analysis of four critical air bases, two Chinese and two Indian, which are within range of the Doklam Plateau. It says “…greater level of activity is visible from imagery of the Chinese air bases near Lhasa and Shigatse”. Beijing has added air defence missiles and made a new runaway in December.

China’s lack of air bases close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) forces it to concentrate more of its air power at these airports.

Imagery of the two air bases shows a significant presence of fighter aircraft (which peaked in October) and a notable increase in helicopters, as well as deployments of KJ-500 airborne early warning and command aircraft, components of the HQ-9 long-range surface-to-air missile system and Soar Dragon unmanned aerial vehicles at Shigatse Peace Airport.

The Chinese made a number of major airfield upgrades at Shigatse immediately after the end of the crisis. A new runaway was constructed by mid-December, nine aircraft aprons measuring 41 metres by 70 metres were built along the main taxiway and eight helipads were set up in the northeast corner of the airfield.

This construction, along with the deployment of new equipment in greater numbers, highlights how China has undertaken a serious effort to improve its capabilities close to the LAC.

On the Indian side of the border, imagery of the Bagdogra air base and the Hasimara Air Force Station has been released. “It depicts how India has moved to reinforce its air power close to the Doklam Plateau,” says Stratfor.

The Indian Air Force has greatly increased the deployment of Su-30MKI warplanes to these air bases as can be seen from the imagery, says the report.

The Su-30MKI is India’s premier fighter jet, and it will soon be capable of striking land targets with the advanced BrahMos cruise missile. The dispatch of these top-of-the-line Indian jets and airfield improvements at both stations highlight India’s determination to improve its force structure near the Doklam Plateau, the report said.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
05-February, 2018 16:35 IST


Chinese Road in Arunachal Pradesh

On 28th December, 2017, an Indian Army patrol observed three civilians believed to be Chinese nationals carrying out track construction in the Shiyung La area (District: Upper Siang, Arunachal Pradesh) approximately one kilometre on the Indian side of the LAC. The three civilians returned to the Chinese side of the LAC on seeing the Indian Army patrol. As per the agreed modalities, a Flag Meeting was arranged to discuss the intrusion. The Chinese side admitted that the three civilians had crossed over the LAC and agreed to withdraw their equipment immediately.

Government regularly takes up such matters along the LAC with the Chinese side through established mechanisms including Border Personnel Meetings, Flag Meetings, meetings of Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs, as well as through diplomatic channels.

This information was given by RakshaRajyaMantriDr.SubhashBhamre in a written reply to Shri Ripun Bora in Rajya Sabha today.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/wo...ith-us-army-style-combat-gear-report-5075286/

China has equipped a branch of the PLA deployed along the Indian border with a powerful integrated individual soldier combat system to prepare for a future “informatised warfare”, a media report has said. Informatised warfare, a term widely used by the Chinese military in recent years refers to the use of IT, digital and artificial intelligence applications in battlefield conditions.

The Sky Wolf Commandos, a branch of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Special Operations Forces from the Western Theatre Command, have been equipped with the QTS-11 system in their training, Weihutang, a column affiliated with the China Central Television (CCTV), reported. The WesternA Theatre Command looks after the security along the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.

The QTS-11 system, according to Chinese experts, is similar to the one being used by soldiers. Hailed as the “strongest individual firepower in the world”, the QTS-11 system not only contains firearms but also a full digitalised integrated individual soldier combat system, including detection and communications, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert told state-run Global Times.

The system, which includes an assault rifle and 20-millimeter grenade launcher, is capable of destroying antipersonnel targets. Each soldier equipped with the system is armed with a thermal imager and optoelectronic and positioning systems, the Global Times quoted a report by Science and Technology Daily. QTS-11 system weighs up to seven kgs.

“The individual soldier combat system is only part of the digitalised army, something countries are attempting to do. Developing the integrated individual soldier combat system adapts to informatized warfare in the future,” Song said. Systems of the US and China are similar but not comparable. The system’s capability depends on how it is used,” Song said.

Special operations forces are the first to have a taste of the QTS-11 system before the system would be widely equipped into other forces. The system is also very expensive, Song said. The announcement by the official media of the deployment of new system along the border with India followed a report few days ago of the upgrading the air defences along the LAC was seen by military observers here as a psychological warfare being resorted to by the PLA.

The Global Times earlier quoted an expert as saying the upgradation of the air defence with deployment of fighter jets like J-10 and J-11 is aimed at “confronting any threat from India” in the light of India acquiring new fighter aircraft, an apparent reference to tejas aircraft. The Chinese military carried out a media blitzkrieg during the height of last year’s 73-day Dokalam standoff highlighting deployment of new battle tank as well as massive military exercises on the Tibetan plateau.

The standoff over PLA’s attempts to build a road close to the strategic narrow Chicken Neck corridor in North East ended after the Chinese military stopped the road building in the area which is also claimed by Bhutan. The integrated combat system was firstly developed by the US but they have dropped the research of Objective Individual Combat Weaponry system due to weight problems.

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...t-officials/story-AFrQOC0BaD42KT2KvXOwBO.html

Bhutan is “firmly” on the Doklam issue, top government officials old a parliamentary panel on Thursday and reiterated there had been troop buildup by China in the region which led to standoff with India .

This was conveyed by foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, which is looking into various aspects of the India-China military standoff at Doklam, a source who was present in the meeting said on the condition of anonymity.

Bhutan was firmly on the Doklam issue, the source quoted the top officials as telling the panel while replying to queries on the recent visit of Army Chief Bipin Rawat, NSA Ajit Doval and Gokhale to that country.

The members also asked the officials about reports on the possibility of land being transferred by Bhutan to China in the Doklam region in exchange for territory in another area.

Troops of India and China are locked in standoff in Doklam after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed trijunction by the Chinese Army.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is also a member of the panel, asked what China’s goal was on Doklam and why Beijing chose the region to create a confrontation.

Gandhi also asked about reports of a major Chinese buildup near Doklam, to which the officials replied that more forces deployment has been done in Indian territory.

Members also questioned the foreign secretary about the “one belt one road” (OBOR) project and the scale of Chinese involvement around the region.

Gokhale replied the project was not in India’s interest, another source said.

At the beginning of the meeting, BJP members expressed concern over the Doklam issue coming up again when the foreign secretary and other top government officials had already briefed the panel more than once on the matter, the sources added.

BJP MP Sharad Tripathi also wanted to know why other experts had been called when the foreign secretary and defence secretary were already there to brief the panel.

Earlier in the day, the panel was briefed by former Army chief Deepak Kapoor, former ambassador to China Nalin Surie and military intelligence veteran and retired Army officer Vinayak Bhat.

***********
https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ntary-panel/story-VnTu3HMzDZxuhjo6wt8MlO.html
India’s diplomatic efforts have paid off in the Doklam controversy, government told a House panel on Thursday even as the Centre said they are looking closely at engagements between China and Bhutan, parliamentary sources said.

At the meeting of the parliamentary panel on external affairs, Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked foreign secretary about the possibilities of China and Bhutan making their own land-swapping deal with Bhutan giving away crucial parts of Doklam to its northern neighbour, according to people present in the meeting.

Gandhi know of New Delhi is aware about the engagements between China and Bhutan, to which the foreign secretary answered in the affirmative but added that India doesn’t see any possibility of such a land deal in the near future.

At the meeting on the ‘Sino-India Relations including Doklam, border situation and cooperation in international organizations’, the panel invited retired army chief, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, former diplomat Nalin Surie and retired Col. Vinayak Bhat to give evidence on the issue.

Members like Md Salim of CPIM pointed out to the media reports on the construction work carried on by the Chinese military in the Doklam area, which is witnessing Doklam standoff between India and China.

According to members present at the meeting, government officials pointed out that the constructions are happening in the disputed area and its not the Chinese territory. “We are aware of the developments. But our diplomatic efforts have paid off. Before July 2017, more stand-off has taken place in Doklam,” officials said.

Indian experts said that Doklam-like situation along the Sikkim border is likely to be the new normal, a reputed defence think tank has observed, making a strong case for building military capabilities as China respects strength.

In a new paper titled Looking Beyond Doklam, the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), a think tank set up by the defence ministry a decade ago, said it is crucial for India to demonstrate strength as peace along the disputed border or Line of Actual Control (LAC) will be “constantly and continuously” under stress with “increase in frequency, intensity and depth of (Chinese) transgressions leading to more and more standoffs”, the foreign ministry told the panel.

Last year, Indian Government had accused China of trespass and letting its troops from building a road in the remote Himalayan plateau . Standoff let to more stationing of Indian troops so that China remove road-building equipment.

“Doklam was definitely different from Chumar (2014) and Depsang (2013), as China resorted to an information war, exploiting both the Chinese media and also investing in the Indian media,” wrote CENJOWS director, lieutenant general (retd) Vinod Bhatia in the paper.

Bhatia was the director general of military operations when India and China were locked in a tense border standoff at Depsang in Ladakh four years ago. He has also commanded the Siliguri-based HQs 33 Corps that controls the Sikkim sector.

 

[Hindustani78]

According to some reports, there were 415 transgressions by the Chinese soldiers in 2017 as compared to 271 in 2016, while the number of confrontations went up to 216 in 2017 from 146 in 2016. Demchok, Chumar, Pangong Tso, Spanggur, Kaurik and Barahoti in the western theatre and Namkha Chu, Sumdorong Chu, Asaphila and Dibang Valley in the north-east are among prominent hotspots.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...formations-at-china-pakistan-borders-5077719/

The Army has started implementing reforms aimed at readying a larger talent pool for crucial tasks and bringing down the age of those commanding key formations, including along the borders with China and Pakistan. Top sources in the defence establishment said the idea behind the reform initiative was to bring down the age of commands at all levels and ensure deploying the “right person for the right job” in a timely manner.

“We also want longer tenures of brigade commanders, divisional commanders and core commanders,” a top military official told PTI, explaining the implementation of a new promotion policy as part of the overall reform initiative. The Army has begun putting the measures into effect. The issue was discussed extensively at a meeting of top commanders of the Army last year when it was also decided that the organisation’s human resource policy would be reoriented. “The aim of the initiative is to improve the overall functioning of the Army,” the official said.

The sources said as part of the new promotion policy, selections for key assignments had been widened to encourage young officers and increase their motivation levels besides ensuring longer tenures at the level of command and director general. The world’s second largest standing Army has been undertaking a series of reforms and procuring various weapon systems to bolster its overall capabilities in the wake of evolving security threats including on India’s borders with Pakistan and China.

“The broader aspect of the initiative is to having a bigger talent pool of young officers. A wider selection process is expected to result in better motivational levels among the officers,” said the official, refusing to delve any deeper into the initiative. The sources said under the new policy, corps commanders may be promoted as army commanders if they have at least 18 months of tenure left in their service as against the previous requirement of 24 months.

They said the top brass of the Army has also decided to sternly tackle incidents of indiscipline. In August last year, the government had announced major reforms in the Indian Army such as redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks as well as ensuring better utilisation of resources.

The reform initiatives were prescribed by a committee headed by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd) which had the mandate to recommend measures for enhancing combat capability and re-balancing the defence expenditure of the armed forces to increase the “tooth to tail ratio”. The ratio refers to the amount of supply and support personnel (termed tail) for each combat soldier (or tooth).

 

[Hindustani78]

Army personnel carry out drills at Kibithu close to the LAC in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. PTI
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/na...india-ups-patrolling-in-arunachal/566910.html


Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 31

India, it seems, is militarily preparing for a “hot summer” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the de facto 3,448-km boundary with China running all along the Himalayan ridge line.

Post the 73-day (June 16 to August 28, 2017) Doklam stand-off, India has increased patrolling along the far-eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh. The remote mountainous terrain at Kibithu, Walong and the Lohit valley are in greater focus.

Surveillance is not possible through UAVs due to dense tree foliage. Hence, patrolling has to be on foot in the valleys of Lohit, lower Subhansiri, upper Subhansiri, Siang, Dibang, Delai and Dau.

These are very narrow valleys in which the invader will have a military disadvantage, said a senior military officer.

Walong, Kibithu and Lohit were the locations of pitched India-China battles in 1962, but things have changed. India has militarily tailored its response to stall any incursion.

A rather candidly written ‘History of the conflict with China’ produced 30 years after the war by the Historical Division of the Ministry of Defence describes the battle of Walong: “A defensive battle against heavy odds, the troops fought bravely, but being out-numbered and out-weaponed in automatics and ammunition, suffered heavily.” But it was no walkover. “Indian troops offered stiff resistance, but they had to vacate their positions,” says the MoD’s book.

After that, India has had a fully functional airstrip at Walong and a division (some 20,000 troops) located in the eastern-most corner of India. All key bases have road connectivity, a far cry from 1962 when a 14-day Tezu-Walong trek was the only option.

India’s move has come after Beijing’s troops have taken to intensive patrolling in areas that are disputed all along the LAC and have been building military infrastructure.

US confirms military build-up on both sides

• On January 25, US-based think tank Stratfor released a report ‘Preparing for a rematch at the top of the world’. It said India and China have continued with a build-up of military resources on either side
• It released satellite images of airbases of both countries and said “the imagery confirms that both China and India are pursuing a wide-ranging strategic build-up that has only accelerated in the wake of the August agreement (to dis-engage)”