indian_foxhound
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The Indian government this week reportedly paved the way for the creation of a new military corps of 50,000 troops near its border with China. If correct, analysts say this is a sign that New Delhi, which has been largely focused on its frontier with Pakistan, is now shifting its attention to the long, disputed Sino-Indian boundary.
Government sources were quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying a new mountain strike corps costing nearly $11 billion over seven years, was approved by Indias cabinet committee on security Wednesday. The committee is headed by Indias Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The force will be headquartered at Panagarh, in the eastern state of West Bengal, the news agency reported. Attempts to confirm these reports with Indias ministries of defense and external affairs were not successful.
The creation of a strike corps would give India thousands of war-ready soldiers, trained and equipped to respond rapidly to a military threat, stationed close to the border between India and China, known as the Line of Actual Control.
Analysts say it would take five to seven years for such a force to be formed fully, as large numbers of soldiers would need to be recruited and trained for combat at high altitudes and in mountainous terrains.
The process will be incremental, said Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor in Chinese studies at the New-Delhi based Jawaharlal Nehru University. There wont be large-scale training, because there is no immediate threat.
For decades, relations between India and China have been characterized by mistrust. The tensions boiled over into a war between the two in 1962, which China won by gaining control over a large swathe of Indian territory known as Aksai China.
Beijing is still in control of the 38,000 square kilometers of land, but Indian maps show Aksai Chin as a part of Jammu and Kashmir, its northernmost state. China also claims 90,000 square kilometers of land in Arunachal Pradesh, a state in Indias northeast.
Neither nation has shown any inclination to return to armed conflict since, but Indias decision to create a strike corps which analysts say has been in the offing for over two years reflects New Delhis growing concern that Beijing is becoming increasingly assertive in its territorial claims.
In April, Indian authorities accused Chinese troops of pitching tents inside Indias territory in the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh, resulting in a three-week standoff on the disputed border.
Mr. Kondapalli said transgressions by patrolling Chinese soldiers have become more frequent in recent years, increasing to nearly one a day, a signal of heightened border activity by Indias neighbor.
China has steadily developed infrastructure along the disputed border with India, which allows for the smooth movement of goods and troops. It has also boosted its military spending in an attempt to rival the U.S. and to fight territorial disputes with a number of East Asian countries including Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
In recent years, there has been a shift in Indias perspective towards China, said Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. India now sees China as an immediate strategic challenge.
For decades, India remained focused on Pakistan, with whom it has fought three wars since independence from Britain. New Delhi has also deployed large numbers of troops on its borders with Pakistan to stem infiltration of militants into India, particularly after 10 Pakistani militants laid siege to Mumbai over three days in 2008, killing more than 160 people.
Now, India is now preparing for a two-front conflict, said Mr. Kondapalli.
India has fought wars with China and Pakistan, but not against both countries at once, he added. China and Pakistan are regional allies.
New Delhi has also grown concerned about Chinas growing influence with other countries in the neighborhood. Chinese investments in naval bases and infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal have led to fears in India that Beijing is building a string of pearls to encircle it.
Still, India has expanded economic ties with Beijing, its largest trading partner. Bilateral trade has grown to $68 billion and the countries hope to boost it to $100 billion by 2015. India runs a large trade deficit of $40 billion with China, up from just $1 billion in 2002, according to data from Indias Ministry of Commerce.
Diplomatic ties between the two Asian giants have also grown. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited India in May, and Indias Defense Minister A.K. Antony traveled to China a month later, the first such visit in seven years.
Analysts say in the coming years, relations between India and China will have to be a balancing act between increasing investment and strengthening diplomatic relations, while managing the long-running border disputes.
Strike Force Would Allow
