- To writing this article we should understand what triggered the event. China is one of very few countries in the world with a vision extending upto 50 years into the future. Yes, China extensively plan and execute its every move in the international geopolitical scene. They envision themselves as the leaders of the world by 2050. But to achieve that, China need to master two things, which every world power mastered since the evolution of humans, global trade and control of sea routes. China already became the manufacturing capital of the world. Its damn hard to make a ‘China Ban’, infact its mostly impossible. So 1–0 for China and next is global sea route control. But the US is not going sit idle when China tries thwart its position. And the US Naval Force is mighty formidable. China don’t even stand a chance in front of it. So what did China do, China planned alternatives which is to build Karakoram Highway and rejuvenate the old silk road and also control South China Sea through which 25% of the world maritime trade make its voyage. Also they heavily invested in Latin America, Africa and other Asian countries and created a new age colonial debt trap where they loaned billions of dollars to countries without considering their abilities to repay. This will make those countries be indebted to China and also state owned Chinese companies will handle operations of key assets in those countries. Hambantota port in Sri Lanka is the best example for this. Let’s stop the story here and change our focus into the Karakoram Highway.
Below is the highway map
2. Now we know why China tried to raise the abolition of Article 370 as an international issue. With India taking full control of the Kashmir region, Karakoram pass is more likely under the Indian military overlook. Chinese attempt to raise the issue went futile because of the great foreign relations of India. Every other country ignored China and they were pissed off. This was the ignition spark of the clash.
3. In the above map, we can see the white line striked area on the right side, that’s Aksai Chin, the region India and China are claiming their rights for a very long time. This area is an absolutely no man’s land. But for China, Aksai Chin holds a very strategic position, its the connection point between Chinese mainland and Tibet. The below map gives a much more clear picture.
4. Now with the abolition of Article 370, Ladakh has become an union territory and that means it will be directly under the control of Union Government and which in turn means there will be heavy military deployment. Galwan valley hold a key position, with the valley under control India still have an upper hand of the Aksai Chin region. So what did China do, satellite images from 2006 revealed that China built a town exactly similar to Aksai Chin in the Ningxia region. Generally simulations like these are made when military is making ground plans on conquering the region. Along with this China started investing heavily in infrastructure on the region and nearby areas. These investments positively indicated that there is a probably chance of military movement in the region. But India’s two acts made China to hold their plans, the strategic military strike on Pakistan. That literally gave Chinese army some spine shivering moments. Chinese army were under the impression that Indian army will not respond to terror acts and government will just play some political games for a while but Modi government acted in a way Chinese never dreamt off. Again they were pissed. And with the Modi government in power, India also invested heavily in building the infrastructure facilities in the north eastern region. This include large roads, bridges and tunnels. India was not ready to back off and rather it increased the army presence in the region.
5. Geography is also completely against China in the region. China very well knows that they cannot win Himalayas. Once the winter sets in, they will be in a wreck and they knows it very well. So during the summer time, they wanted to try their luck. And that is when the clash happened. China really wanted to get the control of Galwan and with that they have full control of the Chinese National Highway(depicted in the map). They know that their attempt may end up in vain but they wanted to test Indian army’s response and I guess they were properly answered. Indian army very well knows that if they back off they will lose the region and other strategic positions for ever. And by landing the PM right in the middle of the conflict zone, India’s message was conveyed without any miss. That is, India is very well in control of the region and any attempt to undermine that will be dealt with dire consequences.
IMG Source Twitter
Thanks for Scrolling
0 Comments