Assess China’s actions, not words

Its military build-up will have to be countered

The news on the India-China front remains grim. Officials familiar with ground developments and satellite imagery have indicated that China has engaged in a rapid, and rather drastic, build-up of troops and material at various points across the Line of Actual Control. In the Galwan Valley, where brave Indian soldiers destroyed a tent built by the People’s Liberation Army on June 15, the Chinese appear to have re-erected the structure. In Pangong-Tso, the Chinese presence between Finger 4 and Finger 8 is now well-established. While India has matched it up with its own troop deployment, the military moves from China signal escalation. The paradox is that this is happening despite military-level talks where both sides have agreed to disengage; it is also happening at a time when in diplomatic talks, while maintaining their respective positions, the two sides have indicated progress.

India must carefully note this dual signalling from China — where it is involved in talks and makes commitments to step back, but continues to remain aggressive on the ground (HT Photo)

India must carefully note this dual signalling from China — where it is involved in talks and makes commitments to step back, but continues to remain aggressive on the ground. India must continue to respond not by believing words, but assessing actions. China has had a long history in deception. In the 1950s, when India raised the issue of Chinese official maps indicating parts of Indian territory under its own sovereign jurisdiction, Chinese leaders reassured Delhi that this was a legacy of the past and did not reflect current positions. But soon after, in 1962, it engaged in an offensive operation and expanded its claims, exacerbated no doubt by India’s weak strategy. A more recent example is the Chinese mismatch between its commitment at military talks on June 6 to disengage and its actions on June 15 where, in what appears to be a “pre-mediated” act, it attacked and killed 20 personnel of the Indian Army.

The lesson is simple — wait for action on the ground before giving an inch in any diplomatic talks. In this case, the Chinese military aggression is complicated by its historically untenable and false claim over the Galwan Valley. India had no choice but to continue to build its military posture on the ground, and prepare for all scenarios, even as diplomacy is given a chance to pressure China into translating its words into action on disengagement and limiting its claims.