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Depsang Bulge incursion accidental, Chinese military thinktank says
BEIJING: Embarking on a rare charm offensive, a top Chinese military thinktank suggested that Beijing's action at Depsang Bulge in eastern Ladakh could have been "accidental, not deliberately staged". Speaking to a group of invited Indian journalists here, Colonel Ma Jun of the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences (AMS) said India and China had developed several "pragmatic mechanisms" and they should be left to handle border issues, making a strong pitch to put it behind us.
On April 15, Indian patrols found the Chinese troops had set up camps at Depsang Bulge leading to a "face-to-face" situation because it went against a bilateral 2005 protocol it took a lot of Indian diplomatic capital to extricate both countries from what could have been a big mess.
This is the first time any Chinese official institution has come close to explaining the incident, although couched in assertions of China's peaceful development. It's also the first time the PLA's diplomacy wing has opened out to foreign, particularly Indian, journalists. "We don't meet the Chinese media either," said Maj Gen Chen Zhou.
The AMS is no ordinary institution. Staffed by senior serving officers of the PLA, it describes itself as the military's top thinktank, largely responsible for crafting China's defence policy. Major General Chen Zhou, deputy director of AMS, said the institution takes its orders directly from the Central Military Commission (which is headed by general secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping himself) and was directly responsible for drafting the all-important Defense White Paper earlier this year.
Neither the PLA's think-tank, nor the foreign affairs department of the Chinese ministry of national defence were willing to give a clearer explanation of why the incident occurred, or what they may have been thinking. Instead, Maj Gen Chen observed "the quick settlement of the border incident reflects that both countries have the broader relation in mind". Senior Capt Cao Weindong at the defence ministry even thought the camps had been set up merely to keep out the cold.
The Depsang incident came closest to disturbing the larger relationship, which had remained largely on an even keel despite aggressive patrolling on the border by both sides.
Although PLA experts here sought to show that the fact that no shot had been fired on the border for decades reflected a stable relationship, a joint statement between Indian and Chinese Defense ministers here last week shows what a close shave Depsang was for both countries.
"Noting that peace and tranquility in their border areas was an important guarantor for the growth and development of bilateral cooperation, the Ministers emphasized the importance of enhancing mutual trust and understanding between the two militaries. They reviewed the working of agreements and protocols dealing with the maintenance of peace and tranquility and directed that it be further strengthened."
Colonel Yang Yujun, spokesperson for the defence ministry's foreign affairs department, stated China would never go in for military expansionism, while asserting that Beijing's reunification with Taiwan was still unfinished business. Keeping up the charm diplomacy, he highlighted the essential feature of China's military policy as being "defensive".
Depsang Bulge incursion accidental, Chinese military thinktank says - The Times of India
Next time IA should shoot these drunk soldiers who are crossing accidentally into India territory.
BEIJING: Embarking on a rare charm offensive, a top Chinese military thinktank suggested that Beijing's action at Depsang Bulge in eastern Ladakh could have been "accidental, not deliberately staged". Speaking to a group of invited Indian journalists here, Colonel Ma Jun of the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences (AMS) said India and China had developed several "pragmatic mechanisms" and they should be left to handle border issues, making a strong pitch to put it behind us.
On April 15, Indian patrols found the Chinese troops had set up camps at Depsang Bulge leading to a "face-to-face" situation because it went against a bilateral 2005 protocol it took a lot of Indian diplomatic capital to extricate both countries from what could have been a big mess.
This is the first time any Chinese official institution has come close to explaining the incident, although couched in assertions of China's peaceful development. It's also the first time the PLA's diplomacy wing has opened out to foreign, particularly Indian, journalists. "We don't meet the Chinese media either," said Maj Gen Chen Zhou.
The AMS is no ordinary institution. Staffed by senior serving officers of the PLA, it describes itself as the military's top thinktank, largely responsible for crafting China's defence policy. Major General Chen Zhou, deputy director of AMS, said the institution takes its orders directly from the Central Military Commission (which is headed by general secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping himself) and was directly responsible for drafting the all-important Defense White Paper earlier this year.
Neither the PLA's think-tank, nor the foreign affairs department of the Chinese ministry of national defence were willing to give a clearer explanation of why the incident occurred, or what they may have been thinking. Instead, Maj Gen Chen observed "the quick settlement of the border incident reflects that both countries have the broader relation in mind". Senior Capt Cao Weindong at the defence ministry even thought the camps had been set up merely to keep out the cold.
The Depsang incident came closest to disturbing the larger relationship, which had remained largely on an even keel despite aggressive patrolling on the border by both sides.
Although PLA experts here sought to show that the fact that no shot had been fired on the border for decades reflected a stable relationship, a joint statement between Indian and Chinese Defense ministers here last week shows what a close shave Depsang was for both countries.
"Noting that peace and tranquility in their border areas was an important guarantor for the growth and development of bilateral cooperation, the Ministers emphasized the importance of enhancing mutual trust and understanding between the two militaries. They reviewed the working of agreements and protocols dealing with the maintenance of peace and tranquility and directed that it be further strengthened."
Colonel Yang Yujun, spokesperson for the defence ministry's foreign affairs department, stated China would never go in for military expansionism, while asserting that Beijing's reunification with Taiwan was still unfinished business. Keeping up the charm diplomacy, he highlighted the essential feature of China's military policy as being "defensive".
Depsang Bulge incursion accidental, Chinese military thinktank says - The Times of India
Next time IA should shoot these drunk soldiers who are crossing accidentally into India territory.
