Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 15
As the militaries of India and China have re-started an interaction and the Ministry of Defence on either side scales up the engagement, history of the past decade reminds of the frequent ups and downs in the relationship. Notwithstanding the recent meetings, the military on either side has not dropped guard. Incidents along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the de-facto boundary — have been reduced. However, till there is a resolution on demarcating the LAC on ground, a sense of alertness shall remain, sources indicated to The Tribune. There is no slackness in India’s infrastructure building in the Himalayas.Lt Gen SL Narsimhan (retd), a former commander of the 3 Corps based in the North-East, says, “India-China military relations were never ‘frozen’ as such. Yes, there were issues on the border and they have been managed.” The General is now part of the National Security Advisory Board. During the 73-day (June–August 2017) Doklam stand-off, there was no major flare up at the LAC barring the clash between troops of either side at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. In the past decade, India-China military relations are dotted with bonhomie turning into a freeze. In December 2007, the two countries conducted their first-ever joint military exercise “hand-in-hand”. In August 2010, India snapped military ties after China denied visa to Northern Army Commander Lt Gen BS Jaswal. Almost 18 months later in January 2012, an attempt to restore ties failed. India cancelled delegation visit after China refused visa to Arunachal-origin IAF officer.Chinese Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie visited India in September 2012 as both sides announced resumption of exercises. A few months later in April 2013, a military stand-off ensued at the Depsang plains, eastern Ladakh—one of the hotly contested areas. In July that year, Defence Minister AK Antony visited China.In September 2014, there was another change, a military stand -off ensued at Chumar in South-eastern Ladakh even as Modi- Xi Jinping meet in India.A few months later, in May and August 2015, two additional formal border meeting point opened at Kibithoo, Eastern Arunachal Pradesh and Daulat Baig Oldie, Ladakh, respectively .In December 2015, Lt Gen DS Hooda, the then northern Army commander led a military delegation to China. In October 2016 was another watershed event. India and China did a first-ever joint tactical exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, at Chushul, Eastern Ladakh.In February 2017, a 15-member Chinese military delegation visited India. Three months later in May 2017, China put off the military exercise. In April this year, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met her Chinese counterpart twice and in the same month, Modi-Xi summit was conducted at Wuhan. In the past four weeks, there has been a joint yoga session at Daulat baig Oldie, Ladakh, and a visit by China’s senior military leadership to India.