Image source, Getty Images
Soldiers from both sides before retreating into opposing positions on both sides of Lake Pangong Tso
India and China have completed the withdrawal of their troops from the disputed Himalayan border, according to a joint statement released by the Indian Defense Ministry.
Soldiers withdrew all from the Pangong Tso Lake area on Saturday, the statement said.
Clashes in the poorly delimited border area led to the deaths of 24 soldiers last June.
The two sides said they would work together to reduce tensions in other parts of the border area along the Control Line.
China and India announced on February 11 their intention to withdraw their troops from the lake area, and their commanders both met on Saturday to assess the progress of the plan’s implementation.
The two sides had nine rounds of negotiations before achieving what is at the current stage.
The joint statement acknowledges that other areas on the border are still tense, and wishes the two sides to continue dialogue.
Monthly tensions have heightened fears of the continued deployment of thousands of soldiers in the Ladakh region and the Aksai Chin (managed by China), thereby causing conflicts to continue to escalate.
India and China have been in a territorial dispute for decades, and there was a war in 1962. The 3,440-kilometer border line between the two sides was only sparingly delimited.
Snow-capped rivers, lakes and mountains run along the border causing boundaries to shift, leading to soldiers on both sides of each other at multiple points, creating confrontation and conflict.
However, the two countries have had a long-standing agreement not to use guns or explosives in the border areas.
‘Sacrifice blood and bones’
In January, soldiers from both sides were injured in a collision in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim.
Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in June clashes in the Galwan Valley. China admitted two days ago that four of its military personnel were killed in that incident.
Recently, China suddenly announced the names of the “four martyrs of the Liberation Army”, including a battalion commander, killed in martial arts clashes and in fair armor with bamboo sticks wrapped in barbed wire with soldiers. India.
On Friday, the People’s Liberation Army Daily (PLA Daily) named four “heroes” who gave “their youth, blood and even their lives” to this land.
Among them were battalion commander Tran Hong Quan and three military men Tran Tuong Dung, Tieu Tu Vien, and Vuong Due Inf. All are awarded the title of martyrs.
Lieutenant Colonel Ky Phat Bao was also honored after leading soldiers to attack the Indian army and was “seriously injured” in June 2020 in the Galwan valley.
Image source, Getty Images
China and India border area north of Sikkim
The incident is not over
CNN on Feb. 19 quoted Manoj Joshi from a research institute in New Delhi, the Observer Research Foundation, as saying at other key points such as the Galwan Valley in Ladakh China continued work to reinforce the presence ” forcefully “.
“The temporary withdrawal from the area around Pangong Lake is very limited. But what about the other strategic points? We need to be cautious about what happens next.”
The Indian newspaper, The Hindu newspaper, quoted an official as saying “there is no stress relief because the north and south banks of the lake are only withdrawn from the vulnerable points and back to the deep areas behind. is home to a large military presence. “
Marine war not only at sea but also on high mountains?
In December 2020, tensions were high when there was news from India that China deployed six Type-928D armed boats in a lake in the Himalayas.
The India Times newspaper at that time said that each boat could carry 10 Chinese soldiers, including weapons and ammunition.
At the same time, a number of armed CB-90s, a Swedish-made type, with a capacity of 20 assault soldiers and three sailors, were also brought to Pangong Lake.
Observers believe that of the three hot spots: Himalayas, East China and South China Sea, China will choose depending on where to coordinate forward or backward but will not give up the end goal.
Particularly for India, commentators believe that the escalation in the alpine border occurs when India in 2020 meets an internal crisis because of Covid-19, and because the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chained. closer to the United States.
India is one of the Four Diamonds together with the United States, Australia and Japan to form a defense alliance to China.
Although the Quartet has been talked about for a long time, only recently has it ‘revived’, causing strong backlash from China.
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