India-China conflict: A timeline of key events

The ongoing India-China conflict in Ladakh has tested India’s ability to de-escalate a tense situation while still holding its ground in matters of the international border.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on July 17 visited areas of Eastern Ladakh and Leh and spoke to soldiers in Lukung, which is on the western bank of Pangong Tso lake. Addressing the troops, he said that even though discussions between India and China are on to address the ongoing crisis, there is no clarity on when the talks would produce an agreement or what that agreement would entail.

What happened in June?

While the world was battling the pandemic, a violent skirmish broke out between Indian and Chinese forces in the Galwan valley on June 15. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed even though both the sides claimed that “no shots were fired”, reported BBC. It is believed that the Chinese side also suffered casualties.

Also read: Chinese could lose in combat with India in Ladakh: Studies

Local media reports suggested that the Indian soldiers were “beaten to death”, said BBC. The article also noted that though there have been occasional scuffles, shots have not been fired from either side in the last 40 years.

Over the past month, senior Army Officials of both the countries have engaged in a series of talks to disengage peacefully in the Galwan Valley. The Indian Army, on Thursday, released a statement saying that the “disengagement process is intricate and requires constant verification”, therefore, the process may take many more rounds of discussion.

In the first part of disengagement that took place on June 6, both the armies pulled back their troops from Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra post.

The second part of the disengagement followed with the withdrawal of armies from Finger 4, though few Chinese soldiers were stationed on the ridgelines to keep track of Indian troops.

Therefore, mistrust colours all negotiations and disengagement talks.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) blocked the Indian patrols at Finger 4 after the May 5-6 stand-off. Later, the Chinese army also blocked patrolling points 10, 11, 12 and 13 at Desang.

What prompted the aggression?

The crux of the conflict between the two major Asian countries lies in unresolved border issues.

A retired Major General G G Dwivedi wrote in an Indian Express article that India considered the Johnson Line of 1865 as the border, however, the Chinese had considered the Macartney-MacDonald (M-M) Line of 1899 as the border. The M-M Line is west of the Johnson Line, thereby, creating confusion over the Line of Control.

“During the 1962 war too, DBO, Galwan, and the Pangong Tso-Chushul areas were scenes of major action. By the time the Chinese declared a unilateral ceasefire, the PLA had almost secured the areas up to the 1960 claim line. At the end of the war, the two sides as per mutual understanding withdrew 20 km from the positions last held by the opposing forces,” he added.

Currently, there are about 90,000 personnel in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, a mountain-warfare trained force, which is tasked to guard the 3,488-km-long LAC with China. It was raised in 1962 in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression and has decided to move at least 60 fresh companies to various locations along the LAC in the wake of the current situation in Ladakh.

How did India react?

Apart from the de-escalation process that is conducted by the Indian Army officials, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured people that no part of Indian soil will be compromised, “I can assure you that India is not a weak country. No power in the world can touch even an inch of India’s land.” He also dismissed claims by critics that China’s aggressive action forced a change in the perception of the Line of Actual Control.

Amidst clamours to reduce economic relations with China, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on July 12 attacked the government and asked in a tweet, “What has happened that under Modi ji rule, China took away Mother India's sacred land?”

He also accused Modi of “surrendering” India’s land to China and “misleading” the media on the disengagement talks.

Days after the initial altercation, India banned 59 Chinese apps to preserve the “sovereignty, integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.” This was widely seen as ‘retaliation’ to the Chinese aggression.