China worried as Indian Army boosts LAC deployment, says move won't ease tensions

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry told the media on Friday that China is “not conducive to easing tensions” over India’s decision to increase force levels along its disputed border.

A unit of 10,000 soldiers that was previously sent to the western border is now allocated to protect a portion of the border with China, according to senior Indian Army officials who requested anonymity owing to the secret nature of the discussions, according to a Bloomberg report.

Nine thousand soldiers who were originally assigned to the disputed Chinese border will now be under the newly formed fighting command. This combined force will guard a 532 km (330.57 mi) border that separates the northern Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh from the Tibet region that has been occupied by China.

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At several points along the Sino-Indian border, Chinese and Indian troops engaged in hostile confrontations, face-offs, and skirmishes starting on May 5, 2020. These incidents happened close to the Tibet Autonomous Region, the boundary between Sikkim and the region, and the contentious Pangong Lake in Ladakh. Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), there were more conflicts in eastern Ladakh.

When Chinese forces objected to Indian road building in the Galwan River region in late May, tensions increased. For the first time in forty-five years, gunfire was heard along the Los Angeles Creek on September 7, 2020, and both sides blamed each other. Additionally, August 30, 2020, Indian media reported that Indian troops had fired warning rounds at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

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After the confrontation, relations between China and India worsened, and they haven’t improved much since. There have been up to 21 rounds of military-diplomatic discussions, but the progress has been slow. India has passed legislation intended to deter Chinese investments and economic ventures within the nation in reaction to the tense relations.

Under pressure from a fatal skirmish that claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian soldiers the year before and severely damaged diplomatic ties, India sent an additional 50,000 soldiers to guard its border with China in 2021.

Following this, China and India have improved their military infrastructure by moving planes and missiles to their respective border areas and by sending more troops there.