A belligerent China has blamed India for the latest round of friction at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on south bank of the Pangong Lake, calling it a step to divert public attention from the domestic issues, and warned India that, “the PLA is bound to make the Indian Army suffer much more severe losses than it did in 1962.”
China’s Western Theatre Command said on Monday evening that Indian troops once again illegally crossed the LAC near the south bank of the Pangong Lake and Reqin mountain pass, a blatant provocative move that seriously infringed on China’s territorial sovereignty, and undermined the peace and stability in the China-India border area.
China on Monday also tried to come close to one of the peaks occupied by India on August 29, however, local commanders dissuaded the Chinese from coming close.
A report in the China’s mouthpiece Global Times said that after the June clash between the two armies in the Galwan Valley anti-China opinion dominated Indian society and India overreached itself by economically sanctioning China and strengthened interaction with the US in order to gain an upper hand over Beijing. Washington almost publicly sided with New Delhi, which further encouraged the latter, the report said.
The south bank of the Pangong Lake where the latest confrontation took place is under China’s control. India is trying to turn it into a new disputed area as a bargaining chip in negotiations. Obviously, India is taking an aggressive approach on border issues rather than prioritising stability in border regions, the report said.
India is now burdened with domestic issues, especially the coronavirus situation that has almost spiraled out of control. On Sunday, the number of new infection cases reached as high as 78,000, breaking the world record. The economy has been dragged into a sluggish state. By provoking tensions at the border, New Delhi also aims to shift domestic attention, which is a hooligan behavior externally, and political flimflam internally, the report said.
“But it must be pointed out that New Delhi is facing a powerful China. The PLA has sufficient force to safeguard every inch of the country. Chinese people have shown support to the Government which won’t seek to provoke India, but does not allow it to encroach on China’s territory. China is strategically firm in the southwestern border areas and is also prepared for any circumstance. China welcomes it if India wants to co-exist in peace. If India wants to engage in competition, China has more tools and capability than India. If India would like a military showdown, the PLA is bound to make the Indian Army suffer much more severe losses than it did in 1962,” the report said.
The report further stated that China needed to prepare to carry out a military struggle in the China-India border area. We should try our best to resolve frictions through peaceful means. But when India recklessly challenges China’s bottom line, China must not be soft. It must take military actions when necessary, and ensure it can win.
“China is several times stronger than India, and India is no match for China. We must smash any Indian illusion that it can deal with China by colluding with other powers, such as the US,” it said.
Meanwhile, In New Delhi spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Counsellor Ji Rong, on Tuesday, accused India of ‘provocative military movements’ to change status quo at the friction point in eastern Ladakh.
“On August 31, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level in consensus engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas. India’s move has grossly violated China’s territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquility along the China-India border areas. What India has done runs counter to the efforts made by both sides for a period of time to ease and cool down the situation on the ground, and China is resolutely opposed to this,” Ji Rong said.
“China has made solemn representations to the Indian side, urged the Indian side to strictly control and restrain its frontline troops, earnestly honor its commitments, immediately stop all the provocative actions, immediately withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the Line of Actual Control, immediately stop any actions leading to the escalation and complication of the situation,” the statement said.