First signs of trouble in Pangong was last September, days after Ladakh became UT. Ever since a brawl on Sept 11 last year – 10 Indian security personnel were injured in the incident - the Chinese side has been attempting to block Indian patrols. My report indianexpress.com/article/india/…
Is there a causal link to the govt's Art 370 decision to change the status of Ladakh with what we are witnessing on the LAC? That is hard to establish conclusively, but, as reported, the statements from the Chinese side after August 5, 2019 do tell a tale. indianexpress.com/article/india/…
“We urge India to be cautious in its words and deeds on the border issue, strictly abide by the relevant agreements reached between the two sides, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the border issue.” (Chinese foreign ministry, August 2019)
In a closed-door informal session of UNSC on Aug 16, the Chinese Permanent Representative in the UN argued that India’s decision to abrogate Article 370 challenged China’s sovereign interests and violated bilateral agreements on maintaining peace and stability in the border area.
“China urges the Indian side to earnestly respect Chinese territorial sovereignty, abide by our treaties and uphold peace and tranquility in the border areas and create favourable conditions for the proper settlement of boundary question”. (Chinese foreign ministry, October 2019)
October 31, 2019 was when Ladakh formally became a Union Territory and a new map was also issued by the Surveyor General of India. That is the map Nepal has also taken objection to, precipitating another crisis.
Two weeks ago, press officer at the Chinese mission in Islamabad, tweeted an article by Chinese scholar, Wang Shida of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) on this. CICIR is a Beijing-based think-tank, affiliated to the Ministry of State Security.
In his article, Wang said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had conveyed his country’s position on the Ladakh issue to EAM S Jaishankar when he visited Beijing after abrogation of Article 370 last year. Indian EAM had paid a quick visit to Beijing to clarify matters then itself.
“India’s moves challenged China’s sovereign rights and interests and violated the agreement on maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas between the two countries,” the article quoted Chinese Foreign Minister as having said, he mentioning the 1993 border agreement.
Bottomline: Can it be conclusively proven that the Chinese behaviour on the LAC this summer *solely* and *directly* attributable to the govt's decision on Art 370 and Ladakh last summer? No.
But does it look like that there is some link? Definitely so. [N/N]
But does it look like that there is some link? Definitely so. [N/N]
