India stoking military standoff with China: Canadian think-tank
Amid rising border tensions between the two Asian giants, India is increasingly discussing possible retaliatory measures against Chinato end their three-week military standoff in Ladakh region of the Indian-held Kashmir, according to a Canadian think-tank.
The Indian political and military establishment sees the current stand-off as a test of Indias readiness to forcefully pursue its geo-political interests, Global Research, which is based in Montreal, said in a report.
The report noted that several rounds of bilateral negotiations have failed to end the stand-off, which is continuing into its third week.
India alleges that a Chinese army platoon intruded 19 km intoIndias territory across the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), setting up tents in Daulat Beg Oldi.Chinadenies the charges, maintaining that its troops remained within its own territory.
The third flag meeting between military officers from both sides, held Tuesday, did not resolve the issue, Global Research said. While Chinese officials insisted on their demands that India dismantle infrastructure it has built in eastern Ladakh, including bunkers and roads close to LAC,India demanded the unconditional withdrawal of Chinese troops, which it claims have intruded into Indian territory.
The Chinese demands tend to support reports that its military activity in the region is a response to Indias build-up of military infrastructure along the border, Global Research said.
India is stoking the stand-off with China, with the media highlighting the issue and continuous remarks by government and opposition leaders. While China has tried to play down the dispute, the Chinese media are increasingly discussing the possibility of confrontation with India, it said.
The report said: In an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh has reportedly suggested various options, including aggressive use of the Indian military.
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Chinas state-run Global Times carried an editorial titled New Delhi bears brunt of border hysteria Thursday. Criticising the Indian media for continuously creating trouble for Sino-Indian relationship, it blamed the Indian government for failing to clarify the so-called intrusion in a timely way and to assume the responsibility of maintaining a good atmosphere.
While calling for a friendly policy towards India, the Global Times warned, this doesnt mean that China will ignore provocations.
This is a warning to New Delhi that it should publicly deny reports of a Chinese intrusion, contain the Indian media campaign against China, and cease building infrastructure along the LAC.
The current Sino-Indian stand-off emerged amid the Obama administrations pivot to Asia, aimed at containing China, during which the US has encouraged its allies such as Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, to take aggressive stances in territorial disputes with China. Thus,
China has been engrossed in a series of border tensions stoked by the US. Under these circumstances, the Sino-Indian border dispute takes on an even more explosive character.
Washington has been developing a strategic partnership with India, aiming to use it as a counterweight to China, whom Washington treats as its main rival in Asia. According to a US State Department statement issued Wednesday, India, the US and Japan held their fourth trilateral dialogue in Washington, discussing the prospect of greater Indo-Pacific commercial connectivity and regional and maritime security, and cooperation in multilateral fora.
The US is trying to expand this integration of India into its strategic agenda in Asia into a quadrilateral alliance also including Australia.
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