China's border games

China's strategy of push and shove to solidify its position along the LAC requires bold and decisive action from India

Last fortnight, China’s President Xi Jinping made a three-day visit to Tibet, his first as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Featuring prominently in his programme was the Tibetan town of Nyingtri (Nyingchi or Linzhi in Chinese), which is of strategic interest to India. Beijing claims that what India calls Arunachal Pradesh is actually Southern Tibet, a part of Nyingtri prefecture. Nyingtri is a key crossroads in Beijing’s plan to connect Tibet with China’s bustling Sichuan province. This would promote tourism and trade; Tibet had 32 million arrivals in the first nine months of 2020, despite the pandemic.