China once again has proved why it has earned the notoriety of being the most untrustworthy neighbour of India. At a time when there is a compelling necessity to de-escalate tensions arising out of the Eastern Ladakh skirmishes by both sides, their latest remark that the newly formed Ladakh union territory has been an ‘illegal’ action by India will open a new door for trouble. If this is going to be another bone of contention in the coming days, what is more pinching is the opposition of India’s ongoing military infrastructure build-up on border areas. After this, a big question mark will come after the diplomatic parleys now being conducted ceremoniously. When one party is stubborn to infinity and always seeks newer methods to keep alive the disagreement, no headway should be expected. This weird statement has a telling similarity with the ‘Arunachal is South Tibet claim’ and it will be hardly surprising if there are more such in near future.

That the notorious neighbour has crossed all limits of lying is evident from its shameful denial that it is not at all engaged in any kind of military infrastructure building on their side along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This is just the opposite of what’s actually going on- heavy build-up of new and sophisticated military bases near the LAC and accumulation of troops. A video leaked a few weeks back showing the Chinese soldiers sobbing on their way to the forward areas across the LAC, that invited different interpretations is one of the many proofs that can be cited despite their efficient firewall to check information leak-outs. Information based on clear evidence by various institutions and global watchdogs over the immediate preceding months have also corroborated India’s claim that new military bases and facilities across the border are being constructed at a rapid pace. Expectedly, China’s Foreign Ministry has termed them as “completely false and driven by ulterior motives.” It’s also necessary to recount that China had responded strongly in August 2019 after New Delhi stripped Jammu & Kashmir of its special status and bifurcated the state as two separate union territories of J&K and Ladakh. It is gradually becoming hard to decode why China is not showing any genuineness in cooling down the tensions. India is still a huge and profitable market for them and this is true despite the recent embargo on apps.

It can be foreseen quite clearly that such negative comments will flow when similar infra making activities will be initiated on the Arunachal side as the words 'restraint' and 'prudence' are missing from China’s foreign policy dictionary.  

Clearly, there are no real hopes or hints of an early resolution of the Ladakh stalemate and it might very well be a winter of extreme conflict. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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