China’s LAC moves

THE Line of Actual Control (LAC) is set to become more contentious, with China announcing plans to set up 175 border villages besides the 628 Xiaokang (prosperous villages) it has already raised along the LAC. These villages have the twin purposes of enhancing China’s military readiness for a potential battle with India as well as to bolster its territorial claims. More villages have come up on the Chinese side of the LAC along Arunachal Pradesh. But villages sprouting up in areas along the Ladakh region need a more concerted intervention from the troops and the locals.

The Indian response has been decidedly quick after it concluded that the Xiaokang could enable the Chinese to assert that being populated areas, these should be excluded from border negotiations as per the 2005 Border Defence Cooperation Agreement. By raising villages even in illegally occupied areas opposite Ladakh, the Chinese are signalling that the region is irrevocably theirs. But the Indian riposte in the form of the Vibrant Villages Programme to turn summer border settlements into round-the-year modern tourist attractions is still a work in progress.

To ensure that these areas don’t become ghost villages, the best option is to settle the Ladakhi people there. After all, it is their land that is being coveted by China. They are also well-placed to brave the harsh heights. However, the Centre needs to address the ferment in Ladakh to make the residents willing participants. By calling off the march to the LAC, Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk has refrained from embarrassing the Centre. His reasonableness needs to be complemented by fulfilling the aspirations of the people, who can be a vital cog in the defence of the LAC.