Chinese infra buildup
The brazenness with which China has been ramping up infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is not lost on anyone. India is well aware of this buildup, though it has been slow in matching the aggressive neighbour’s moves. Echoing New Delhi’s concerns, a top US General has termed the Chinese activity ‘eye-opening’ and ‘alarming’. During his India visit, General Charles A Flynn, who heads the US Army’s Pacific Command, also called out the Chinese Communist Party for its ‘destabilising and corrosive’ behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. His strong words come days before the second anniversary of the Galwan Valley clash, which has dominated the India-China discourse amid the prolonged Ladakh standoff. The two countries have held 15 rounds of military talks in the past two years, but some friction points still remain unresolved.
General Flynn’s assertion that sharing of tactical and operational practices between Indian and US armies ‘increases everybody’s readiness to respond to whatever crisis may occur and has a deterrent effect in the region’ won’t be music to China’s ears, especially on the eve of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. On the sidelines of this summit, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe are expected to hold their first in-person meeting since Joe Biden assumed charge as President. Even as the US and China are not averse to ‘managing’ their differences, America is missing no opportunity to throw its weight behind India, its key ally in the region.
American support, however, gives India no reason to become complacent. With China busy constructing a second bridge around the Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh to facilitate the movement of its troops, besides establishing roads and residential units in border areas, India needs to be more active and assertive along the LAC. It is vital to ensure the success of the Centre’s Vibrant Villages Programme, which envisages coverage of border villages having sparse population, limited connectivity and infrastructure. All-round development of these areas can spur the residents to help the troops and do their bit for border security.
