Chinese seek ‘unreasonable’ patrolling rights at two LAC spots along Arunachal Pradesh

As India and China discuss a potential resolution of their dispute along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has been ongoing for four years, Chinese negotiators have suggested to New Delhi that their troops be allowed to patrol in two sensitive areas along Arunachal Pradesh.

The two spots — one in the Yangtse area north-east of Tawang, where the two sides had a deadly clash in December 2022, and the second in central Arunachal along the Subansiri river valley — have been firmly under Indian control for decades.

The recent Chinese demand came in response to the 21 rounds of talks that have been held between the two sides over the past four years, to discuss the existing dispute on the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Here, Chinese soldiers have denied access to Indian troops to “patrol points” 10, 11, 12 and 13 (also known in military jargon as PP) on the LAC. All of these originate from “the bottleneck”, a geographical feature on the eastern flank of the 972 sq km Depsang plateau. Government sources, speaking to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity, said the Chinese demands were “unreasonable” and “devoid of logic”. “The last Indian Army patrol to the PP areas was in January 2020,” a source said.

The government sources reiterated that the so-called Chinese demand to allow its troops to patrol these two spots in Arunachal Pradesh was not a “quid pro quo”, as both had been in Indian control for decades.

On the other hand, the issue of patrolling PP 10, 11, 12 and 13 in eastern Ladakh is a dispute that cropped up in April 2020. Ever since, the two armies have been locked in a military standoff.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking at an event in the US on Tuesday, for the first-time admitted that a part of the continuing India-China dispute along the LAC was to do with access to patrolling areas. “The main issue right now is the patrolling,” Jaishankar said, pointing out that the patrolling arrangements since 2020 had been disturbed. He went on to describe the India-China relationship as “significantly disturbed”. Military sources have separately confirmed that since April 2020, Chinese troops have not allowed Indian soldiers to patrol areas — PP 10, 11, 12 and 13 — which the Indian side had patrolled until the incursions by Beijing.

The aforesaid government sources explained that the two spots in Arunachal Pradesh the Chinese are demanding access to patrol, are important to hold. After the December 2022 clash at Yangtse, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had then told Parliament: “The PLA (People’s Liberation Army) troops on December 9 tried to transgress the LAC in Yangtse area of Tawang sector and unilaterally change the status quo.”

There have been face-offs in the Yangtse area in the past, a major one being in October 2021. The Chinese had then attempted to get access to the top of the 17,000-foot-high peak that provides a commanding view on both sides of the LAC. India is in firm control of the top and its access routes from its own side.

The two armies have also had face-offs in the past at the second spot, in the Subansiri valley in central Arunachal.

The sources said over the last 21 rounds of talks, India has suggested to China a graded three-step process for resolving the Eastern Ladakh issue. The first involves disengagement of troops within close proximity to each other in grey zones along the LAC and getting back to positions as on April 2020. The next two steps — de-escalation and de-induction — entail pulling back troops and equipment to the pre-April 2020 levels.

Eastern Ladakh dispute pending

• In eastern Ladakh, the dispute is about patrolling by Indian troops along four locations near the LAC
• EAM Jaishankar during his ongoing US trip termed ‘patrolling the LAC’ an important pending issue
• India has suggested to China a graded three-step process for resolving the eastern Ladakh issue