TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese and Indian troop numbers are surging on either side of their disputed border in recent days, concentrating around the Galwan Valley area where the two sides held a deadly border battle in June last year.
General Manoj Mukund Naravane, India’s army chief, said Chinese troops are increasing in “considerable numbers,” which has triggered a matching deployment by New Delhi, according to an AFP report. He told reporters the trend is a “concern” while visiting Ladakh region, home to the Galwan Valley, on Saturday (Oct. 2).
The news comes after Chinese state media put out a video showing PLA troops singing patriotically in the valley as a drone flew a flag above a rushing torrent of water to mark Oct. 1, China’s national day. It follows a rise in official rebukes by both sides.
Last week, on Wednesday (Sept. 29), Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying (華春瑩) accused Indian soldiers of illegally crossing the border into Chinese territory. New Delhi replied the accusation has “no basis in facts.”
Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, the chief of India’s Air Force (IAF) claimed the Chinese air force is present on at least three air bases on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — a long disputed border area between the two sides in the Himalayan region.
Indian intelligence agencies recently reported the Chinese air force is also active at the Skardu Airbase, a strategic asset located in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. It is believed launching fighters from Pakistani territory puts China within a much closer striking distance of Indian defense assets than launching from bases within its own country.
Yet the IAF says it is completely ready to handle any challenge in Ladakh and that new Chinese assets in the area cannot erode India's combat readiness, per reports. “We are fully deployed and prepared on our side," Chaudhari said.
