Indian Army Chief of Staff Naravane (MM Naravane) told the media on Jan. 11 that the military deployments of the two countries in areas of friction along the India-China border have not been reduced. He stressed that the Indian Army will continue to hold its positions until they are no longer needed.
Naravane told the media that the withdrawal of Chinese troops from deep areas should not be read too much into the issue, as these areas are used for training. He added, “China has withdrawn its training areas in deep areas 500-1,500 kilometers from the border. Neither side has reduced its troop strength in the friction areas.” A 12-day report in the South China Morning Post quoted two sources as saying that China has withdrawn 10,000 troops from the disputed border area with India in recent weeks and that Beijing sees little chance of clashes between the two sides in the standoff area this winter.
A source close to the Chinese Communist Party military said on condition of anonymity, “The withdrawal began more than two weeks ago. All the troops were pulled back in military vehicles so the Indian side could see them.” The source said, “Some of the 10,000 troops will return from high altitudes after more than a year of duty as part of a scheduled rotation.” It continued, “The Central Military Commission has now determined that it is impossible for both sides to fight in extremely cold weather like that in the Himalayas.” The source said the Chinese withdrawal was mainly of troops temporarily drawn from various units in the Xinjiang and Tibet military regions. “They returned to their home barracks for rest and recuperation, but all 10,000 troops could return to the front within a week, by rail, military vehicles and even airplanes.” It said. Related news was also reported by Indian media.
Naravani noted Tuesday that although the India-China standoff began in May last year, Indian troops moved into a favorable position in August by capturing unnamed peaks on the southern shore of Pangong Lake. These include the Rechin La, Rezang La, and Mukpari areas on Mount Gangneung, which overlooks China’s Mordor garrison. Naravani said, “The mobilization on the Chinese side is not new. It happens every year as part of their training exercises. We have been monitoring the situation, but we didn’t expect this to happen. They had the advantage of ‘pre-emptive strike.’ And we had a ‘first strike’ advantage at the end of August. The government has instructed us to hold our position until winter or summer.”
Naravani said, “There are points of friction with China not only in Ladakh, but also in the central and eastern regions. In any case, there is no eye-to-eye situation in these places. China has increased its infrastructure in these areas. We have taken all these factors into account while formulating our strategy.” Commenting on the way forward, he said the Indian Army is prepared to deal with any contingency but wants to resolve it through dialogue.
Naravani said the next round of army chief-level talks between the two sides is awaited. “We are ready for any eventuality, logistics are well taken care of, operational readiness is very high. The morale of the troops is high. We are hopeful for a settlement.” He said. In response to a question about whether the status quo in eastern Ladakh has changed, he said, “There is no change in the status quo. The situation is the same as last year.”
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