India-Chinese armies may clash more frequently: Report

The last time the Indian and Chinese held talks was 11 days after the Tawang clash. Both sides said the talks were constructive, but there was no word on a forward movement on the remaining issues

New Delhi, Jan 28: Amidst the tense military stand-off between India and China along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, reports have said that there could be more clashes between the two sides in the region.

Since the start of the standoff, the Indian and Chinese forces have already clashed twice- Galwan and Tawang.

A Reuters report claimed that this was part of the confidential research paper by the Ladakh police that was submitted under the Security issues Pertaining to Unfenced Land Border theme at the DG/IG conference recently.

The conference which was organised by the Intelligence Bureau and attended by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was held between January 20-22.

The Reuters report said that an assessment based on Intelligence gathered by the local police in the border areas and the pattern India-China military tensions over the years suggests that there will be more skirmishes between the two nations in Ladakh.

In the year 2020, at least 24 soldiers were killed after the two sides clashed at Galwan Valley. The tensions however eased after military and diplomatic talks were held. Another clash erupted at Tawang in the Arunachal Pradesh sector, but only injuries on both sides were reported.

The research paper said, 'given the domestic compulsions in China and their economic interests in the region, the PLA would continue to build up its military infrastructure and skirmishes would also get frequent, which may not follow a pattern.

With the massive infrastructure build up by the PLA on Chinese side both the armies are testing each other's reaction, strength of artillery and infantry mobilisation time. If we analyse the pattern of skirmishes and tensions, the intensity has increased since 2013-2014 with an interval of every 2-3 years, Reuters said while citing the paper.

This report comes days after it had been revealed that the Indian Armed Force's presence is lost at 26 patrolling points.

This leads to a shift in the border under control the ISFs towards the Indian side and a buffer zone is created in all such pockets which ultimately leads to the loss of control over these areas by India, the report had said.

Talks:

The last time the Indian and Chinese sides held talks was in December. However there was no sign of any forward movement on the remaining issues.

Both sides exchanged views in an "open and constructive" manner to resolve the "relevant issues" and that it was agreed to maintain "security and stability" on the ground in the region, a statement read.

The 17th round of high-level military talks took place, nearly 2 weeks after the Tawang clash. The talks lasted 10 hours during which India insisted on resolving outstanding issues at the remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang in easter Ladakh.