Chinese Soldiers In Civilian Clothes Pushed Back From Ladakh

Chinese Soldiers: Chinese soldiers dressed in civilian clothes have been spotted at Changthang village in Ladakh. They were subsequently pushed away by ITBP personnel and civilians. 

A week back, India and China came on the same level ground talking about respecting the sovereignty of the borders. In a media statement Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said, “We have taken note of the Chinese side’s statement that it observes ‘strictly the agreements between the two sides and is committed to resolving the border issue through dialogue and safeguarding peace and tranquillity’ in the border areas. We expect that the Chinese side will match its words with actions,” 

But the recent action of Chinese soldiers deciding to enter the village in civilian clothes is a far cry from what Beijing might have agreed to with New Delhi. Changthang in Leh is mostly inhabited by Tibetan refugees, and is located at an altitude of 14,600 meters above sea level in Rushpo Valley. The land is home to the Changpa nomads.

While there has been no official statement by the ITBP officials, due to possible security breach protocols, a video filmed by the locals being widely circulated confirmed that there has been intrusion by the Chinese military into the civilian area, in plain clothes. 

China has been creating issues for India ever since India decided to retract its trade partnerships with Beijing and move towards self-sustaining industrial and IT development. Beijing has been trying to bring forth old fights over territory, claiming its right over various smaller territories that fall under India’s geographical divide. Strangely, China has territorial disputes with more than 10 countries including Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar and Tibet. 

The Sino-Indian border dispute was to resolve the issue of claims but has lingered on for two decades. As on September 2020, China claimed 90,000 square kilometres (34,750 square miles) of Indian territory; nearly all of which constitutes India’s Arunachal Pradesh state. On the other hand, India claimed 38,000sq km (15,000sq miles) of land currently under Chinese control, which includes Aksai Chin plateau near the Ladakh region.