The incursions by Chinese troops into Indian territory in Ladakh may have sent TV channels into a tizzy, but South Block remained unflappable.Officials said that the India-China border has not yet been demarcated and until a final settlement is reached such incidents will continue. What the ministry of external affairs did not admit is that Indian troops too, regularly cross into territory which the Chinese maintain is theirs.
“Let me go on record to say that this [border with China] has been one of the most peaceful boundaries we’ve had as compared to those with other countries,” minister for external affairs S M Krishna said on Monday. He said India has a 3,000-km border with China and that “there is a built-in mechanism in place to take care of such incursions.”
Army sources said the incursion on July 31 and was discussed during a flag meeting by the two sides in August. “Straying into each other’s territory is not unusual, but we sort it out during flag meetings,’’ an army official said.
A Chinese embassy spokes-person said that the reports were “groundless and something which had not happened in either July or at any other time.” “We are committed to seeking a fair and mutually-acceptable solution through peaceful and friendly negotiation,” the official said.
Coming as they do after recent reports of an air intrusion as well as numerous instances of the Peoples’ Liberation Army entering Indian territory, the larger question is whether China is sending India a subtle message — of being big brother in Asia.
China does consider itself to be a major military and economic power in Asia, said K Raghunath, former foreign secretary, but knowing the Chinese, incursions are not their way of proving it. He said, frequent straying into Indian territory may be the handiwork of commanders on ground and not of the political leadership in Beijing. “Hardliners within the PLA may be becoming adventurous, but I doubt that the leadership has ordered this,’’ he said.
