Confrontation between China, India with PLA troops back in Eastern Ladakh

The Indian Army has denied reports that a clash took place with the PLA.

(This report has been updated to include the Indian Army's denial)

After a winter lull, Chin­ese troops have again crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh at several places, government sources say. And there has been at least one clash between the two sides. The altercation took place on the Galwan River, close to where 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 last year. It is not known whether any casualties occurred this time.

Like in the June 2020 clash, there was a confrontation when People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers set up a tent at the bend in the Galwan River, near PP14. India demanded it be removed, as it was in the buffer area that both sides had agreed to.

The army has denied reports that a clash took place with the PLA.

During winter 2020-2021, the PLA had thinned out or withdrawn from many of the positions it had occupied on the Indian side of the LAC in the summer of 2020. But the freeze of winter gave way to renewed confrontation in the first week of April 2021, when Chinese drones began entering Indian airspace in large numbers, say Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources.

In May-June, Indian patrols in Demchok and Chumar, in Southern Ladakh, reported an increased presence of PLA men in civilian clothes. In mid-May, without Indian provocation, the PLA began re-occupying many of the positions that had been vacated, boosting tensions and triggering counter deployments by the Indian Army. With the two armies again in a face-off at multiple points, there is apprehension of renewed clashes.

Military sources say the PLA has deployed at least one, and probably two, regiments of S-400 air defence missiles, which would drastically erode India’s superiority in air power.  These potent Russian missile systems have the capability to shoot down aircraft up to 400 km away, which means they can shoot down Indian aircraft anywhere in Ladakh.

Pangong Lake sector

There is increased PLA troop activity and deployment of mo­d­ern equipment and artillery in the north bank of Pangong Lake (NBPL), especially at Siri­jap. Indian assessments suggest there are three PLA battalions stationed here. About three dozen new artillery pieces have also been spotted here.

The PLA has apparently flo­u­t­ed the February 2021 demilitarisation agreement, which had envisioned a mutual withdrawal of troops in the Pangong sector. However, in traditional PLA modus operandi, it has sent back troops to re-occupy key positions.

Indian ground reports say that in the year since June 2020, China has strengthened several of its positions, especially Rut­og, which is just south of the eastern tip of Pangong Lake. The PLA has deployed radar on tactically dominating positions, and constructed helipads, sites for surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and places for armoured vehicles. This area is well connected with roads to Ngari prefecture.

Deeper inside China, troop accommodation, including un­d­erground bunkers, has been constructed for the PLA at several locations along G-219, inc­luding Xaidullah, Kangxi­war and Dahongliutan. Each significant PLA location has a helipad and several helicopter units have been seen.

Depsang–Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO)

A big build-up of Chinese sold­iers is in the Depsang–DBO sector at the foot of the Karakoram Pass — India’s northern tip. This sector was pa­tr­olled by Indian soldiers until spring 2020. But since April last year, the PLA has blocked Indian troops from going to their Patrolling Points (PPs) 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13.

New Delhi assesses that Depsang is the central Chinese objective. It provides Indian soldiers with a route to Road G-219 — China’s sensitive Western Highway that connects Tibet with Xinjiang. It also provides the PLA and the Pakistan Army with complementary thrust lines on which they can simultaneously advance and link up. This would cut off India’s northern tip, including the Karakoram Pass, DBO and the Siachen Glacier sector.

China holds the trump cards in Depsang. The PLA has built motorable roads from the Aksai Chin, extending deep into Indian territory. In any race to build up forces, the Chinese would win, since Depsang is India’s remotest sector, reachable only after a long journey on the newly-built Darbuk–Shyok–DBO (DSDBO) road.

To outnumber and outgun India’s troops in the sector, the PLA is holding positions 15 km deep inside India’s border. The PLA has already brought up its newest and most modern tan­ks, artillery and air defence systems on its own side of the LAC.

Galwan River sector

In the Galwan River sector, the terms of disengagement, which the two armies negotiated on June 30, 2020, regard the LAC as running through the so-called Y-Nallah Junction. This is actually a full kilometre inside India, compared with the LAC’s historical alignment next to PP-14, which the Indian Army has patrolled for decades. Now PP-14 effectively falls inside China’s “buffer zone”.

By measuring all distances from the Y-Junction, rather than from the traditional LAC alignment west of PP-14, the Y-Junction has been effectively regarded as the LAC point.

Gogra/Hot Springs

In the Gogra/Hot Spring sector, South of Galwan, the PLA has refused to withdraw since the time it crossed the LAC here in May 2020. Chinese troops rem­ain deployed in the vicinity of India’s sensitive Gogra Post and are still deployed in numbers near PP 17A, half a kilometre in­­­side Indian-claimed territory.

There is a massive Chinese build-up across the LAC from Gogra, extending from PP17 to PP23. These Chinese troops, artillery, air defence weaponry and heavy vehicles can move deeper into Indian territory at very short notice.

Meanwhile, on the South Bank of the Pangong Lake, Chi­n­ese troops have reportedly reoccupied the positions on the Kailash Range, such as Black Top and Helmet, which they had vacated. This pre-emptive step has made it extremely di­f­fi­cult for India to re-o­ccupy the dominating posit­i­o­ns it held on the Ladakh Range.

Indian Army denies clashes with China

Responding to a report in Business Standard — “China, India clash again with PLA back in Eastern Ladakh" on July 14, 2021 — an Indian Army statement said that there had been no attempt by either side to occupy the areas from where the disengagement had been undertaken. There have also been no clashes in Galwan or any other area, as reported.

The Army statement said both India and China have continued with negotiations to resolve the balance issues, and regular patrolling in respective areas continues. The situation on ground continues to be as earlier. PLA activities, including turnover of troops, continue to be monitored by the Indian Army.