{"id":36263,"date":"2024-04-12T12:06:23","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T10:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=36263"},"modified":"2024-04-15T16:36:46","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T14:36:46","slug":"tensions-escalate-at-the-india-china-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/tensions-escalate-at-the-india-china-border\/","title":{"rendered":"Tensions Escalate at the India-China Border"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
In March, Indian PM Narendra Modi\u00a0visited<\/a>\u00a0Arunachal Pradesh to inaugurate a tunnel built\u00a0to enhance year-round troop mobility in the region.<\/strong>\u00a0The visit was denounced by China, which lays\u00a0claim<\/a>\u00a0to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet (\u85cf\u5357, Zangnan), a part of the Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region.\u00a0China\u2019s Ministry of Civil Affairs then listed 30 \u201cstandardized\u201d Tibetan and Mandarin names for locations in the disputed territory.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The US has also entered the fray,\u00a0saying<\/a>\u00a0it \u201cstrongly opposes\u201d unilateral attempts to advance territorial demands and reaffirmed its recognition of India\u2019s claim to the region. China\u00a0responded<\/a>\u00a0with an equally strong rebuke of the US.<\/p> The border China sought to revisit was determined under a British-Tibetan convention in 1914. China initially took part in the negotiations but repudiated the outcomes as detrimental to Chinese interests.\u00a0The modern PRC<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>considers<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>the agreement illegitimate,<\/strong>\u00a0arguing that Tibet was not a sovereign state when its borders with British India were delineated. During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, China made an\u00a0incursion<\/a>\u00a0into Arunachal Pradesh but retreated behind the so-called Line of Actual Control following its unilateral ceasefire. The disputed border witnessed a revival of hostilities in the 2010s after numerous attempts at negotiation.\u00a0<\/p> The recent dispute began with Modi\u2019s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, where the Indian PM\u00a0inaugurated<\/a>\u00a0a two-lane tunnel that promises to facilitate the year-round transportation of troops and military equipment.\u00a0Modi\u2019s timing is likely related to India\u2019s upcoming elections,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>during which he will stand for a\u00a0third term as prime minister.<\/strong>\u00a0Modi cultivates the image of a strong leader in the international arena, benefitting from India\u2019s successes in defending its perceived national interests.\u00a0<\/p> China\u2019s most recent actions are relatively meek. However,\u00a0while Beijing has not yet substantially forced this issue,<\/strong>\u00a0its \u201crenaming\u201d strategy \u2013 a component of\u00a0China\u2019s lawfare<\/a>\u00a0vis-\u00e0-vis India \u2013 undoubtedly\u00a0lays the groundwork for future claims.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Meanwhile, it is not unlikely that Modi will de-emphasize the dispute following the elections, with military veterans\u00a0criticizing<\/a>\u00a0the leader for his alleged passivity.<\/p> China has been increasingly active in pressing its territorial demands.<\/strong>\u00a0Building infrastructure along its southern borders, it has sparked a race with India that has\u00a0resulted<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0the first deadly clashes since the 1960s.<\/strong>\u00a0In the years following the violence of 2020-2021, Indian sources have decried what they see as China\u2019s \u201csalami-slicing tactics,\u201d which have\u00a0consumed<\/a>\u00a02,000 square kilometers of Indian territory. China is also\u00a0revisiting<\/a>\u00a0its border with Bhutan, claiming a sacred valley and the strategically important Doklam area.\u00a0<\/p> The territorial dispute locks China and India into a hostility that may have broader repercussions. For one, it\u00a0undermines<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0the outward unity of the BRICS group,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>which is already challenged by its almost indiscriminate recent expansion. Furthermore,\u00a0China\u2019s claims may push India farther away from Russia and closer to the USA,<\/strong>\u00a0which has denounced China\u2019s ambitions. It is worth noting that\u00a0Russia has been very<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>muted<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in its response to China\u2019s apparent claims over Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island and has stayed out of brawls between China and India.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is happening? In March, Indian PM Narendra Modi\u00a0visited\u00a0Arunachal Pradesh to inaugurate a tunnel built\u00a0to enhance year-round troop mobility in the region.\u00a0The visit was denounced by China, which lays\u00a0claim\u00a0to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet (\u85cf\u5357, Zangnan), a part of the Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region.\u00a0China\u2019s Ministry of Civil Affairs then listed 30 \u201cstandardized\u201d Tibetan and Mandarin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":36264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[483],"class_list":["post-36263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-ladislav-charouz"],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a0<\/h2>
What is the broader picture?<\/h2>
\u00a0<\/h2>
Why does it matter?<\/h2>