India ‘matching Chinese troop build-up on border’

(Representative photo) India-China border.

India’s army chief has said China is sending troops to their disputed border in “considerable numbers”, prompting a matching deployment by New Delhi in a development he called a “concern”. Tensions have been high between the nuclear-armed neighbours following a deadly border battle in June last year in the strategically important Galwan river valley in India’s Ladakh region, near Tibet. The world’s two most populous nations poured tens of thousands of extra troops into the high-altitude region in the Himalayas after the clash. General Manoj Mukund Naravane told reporters in Ladakh on Saturday that the Chinese troop presence along the 3,500km border had increased in “considerable numbers” and it was a “matter of concern”. Naravane said the Indian military was building up its forces along the border in response. “We have also inducted advanced weaponry. We are strong, quite well-poised to meet any eventuality,” the Times of India newspaper quoted him as saying. The Indian army has deployed its K9-Vajra 155mm howitzer in eastern Ladakh as part of series of measures to further boost its combat capabilities. The army chief visited several forward areas in eastern Ladakh and carried out a comprehensive review of India’s operational preparedness during his visit, according to officials. India and China have been holding high-level military talks since the June clash and Naravane said another meeting was expected next week. Officials said both sides have exchanged notes as part of preparations for the 13th round of military talks to push for disengagement in the remaining friction points. Military sources said disengagement in Hot Springs and some other areas are expected to be discussed at the next round of Corps Commander-level talks. “A clarity on the date and venue for the talks is expected in the next three-four days,” said a source. The talks are expected to take place in the second week of October, officials said. His comments came days after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying accused Indian soldiers of illegally crossing the border into Chinese territory, a charge that New Delhi said had “no basis in facts”. Local media reported last week, citing unnamed sources, that nearly 100 Chinese troops had crossed the border into Uttarakhand state for several hours in late August. India and China, which fought a full-scale border war in 1962, have long accused each other of trying to take territory along their unofficial border known as the Line of Actual Control. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.