Indian and Chinese troops clash in Tawang: Why China's attempts should worry India?

By: Yash Gupte

India and China have been involved in number of conflicts and even a full-fledged war. The primary reason being the conflicts along the 3,400-km long border.

On Tuesday, December 13, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed Parliament that the Indian Army had resisted a Chinese attempt to alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and had driven back soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who were involved in the incursion attempt. Both Chinese and Indian soldiers had been hurt during the fight. The Defence Minister informed the Lok Sabha that on December 9, PLA troops sought to unilaterally alter the status quo by conducting an incursion ("atikraman") across the LAC in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh. On December 11, the local commander of the Indian Army and his Chinese counterpart attended a flag meeting during which the Chinese side was requested to keep the border peaceful. The issue has also been brought up diplomatically with the Chinese side. Since the fatal Galwan incident in eastern Ladakh in June 2020, this was the closest encounter Indian troops and the PLA have had.

India and China have been involved in number of conflicts and even a full-fledged war. The primary reason being the conflicts along the 3,400-km long border. Both the countries engaged in a war in 1962. Sixty years later, they clashed in Galwan valley in Ladakh that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and unknown number of Chinese soldiers. Though there have been many talks and negotiations between the governments and even the armed forces of both the countries, it has only been able to establish temporary peace and tranquility but nothing beyond that. Though there had been more than 16 Corps-Commander level talks between the two neighbors, the conflict has not been effectively de-escalated.

Over the years, China has tried to increase its defence capabilities and strengthen its military. Similarly, it has also stationed a large number of troops and weapons systems along the Sino-Indian border. Since 2020, China has been rapidly constructing roads and highways along the border areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Also, a new land border law in China went into effect, giving its army authority to protect its territory and take action against "invasion, encroachment, infiltration, and provocation." Additionally, China is building a bridge across the Pangong Tso Lake, which India claims as its own. As a display of soft power, China has even renamed 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh on the basis of historical and administrative jurisdiction over the area.

The Table below provides a comparison of India and China’s defence budget and defence capabilities.

Source: www.globalfirepower.com and World Bank.

From the above table, it is clear that China has an upper hand over India economically as well as militarily. China has been successfully able to increase its defence capabilities over the years Though China has world’s second largest defence budget, it spends only 1.2 percent of the GDP on defense. Not only this, but China has been also focusing on developing latest defence technology. China witnessed a massive increase in defence budget from $141 Billion in 2015 to $293 Billion in 2022. In the 1990s, China possessed vintage aircraft like Soviet MiG 19 and MiG 21s. However, since then, it has been modernizing its air force at a rapid rate. Today, China has some of the world’s best 4.5^th generation aircraft which include Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-16.

Since the year 2015, China has been aggressively increasing its defence equipment due to its aim of establishing itself as a superpower in the Indo-pacific region. As per a report published by the US Congressional Research service, China overtook USA with the largest navy in the world with 348 ships. Coming over to nuclear stockpiles, China had 206 nuclear warheads in the year 2011 and the tally increased to 272 in 2021 and as per the estimation of US Department of Defence, China may have more than 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030. The DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts say could hit any corner of the globe, was unveiled during the National Day military parade in 2019.

China has also increased its defence exports over the years by manufacturing and exporting drones to Saudi Arabia and UAE. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Algeria have been biggest importers of weapons from China.

With such military and economic might, China poses a threat to India’s security.