India Pushes Back China To Post Without Confrontation

Last updated on February 16th, 2021 at 06:52 am

It was a strange movement as China quickly removed more than 200 of its battle tanks from the south banks of Pangong Tso. This happened as India refused to back down from the offensive and ensured it made it clear that it was not giving away any territory to the Chinese. 

For months, there has been pressure building up on both sides of the border. China has been systematically trying to move into areas in Ladakh and around, claiming their ownership of the area. 

However, India has been firm and the moment, India decided it did not want to back down; China made a run from it. It was a cleanup at lightning speed. “The speed of Chinese withdrawal since February 10 also shows their capacity to deploy. It is a military art. The Indian side has also pulled back its armor but contingency plans are ready in case of a worst-case scenario,” said one of the officials, a senior member of the Narendra Modi government.

China seemed to have been playing a psychological game, it seems. However, they are known to not keep their side of the promise, when it fits their bill. The fact that everything has been brought back to a status quo is being attributed to the grit and determined leadership that has been maneuvered by the Modi cabinet. 

It has been the action on the part of the External Affairs Minister Jaishankar who churned diplomatic channels with China while NSA Doval had successfully maneuvered the Indian forces against PLA on the ground.

According to the officials cited above, once the withdrawal of armor and artillery, and troops has been completed from Pangong Tso, the two sides will initiate negotiations on disengagement from patrolling point 15 (Gogra) and 17 (Hot Springs) area, north of Pangong Tso.

The strategic decision-making by the Indian Army has also been able to put pressure on China.  India’s negotiating position received a boost after Indian Army troopers took over the heights of Rezang La Rechin La alignment on Kailash Range on August 29 and 30, 2020, despite valid fears of the move escalating into a full-blown India-China conflict. Just as the Chinese PLA tried to enforce the 1959 LAC line by aggression on Finger 4, the Indian side countered by achieving its military objective of holding up the Kailash Range line as per the Indian perception of LAC.