India seems to be taking a more assertive stance vis-a-vis their Chinese neighbors, whom India accuses of not being very 'neighborly' as of late... India takes the high ground against China http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF14Df02.html BANGALORE - India has reopened its Daulat Beg Oldi airfield in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of more than four decades. Located a stone's throw from Aksai Chin - a part of Jammu and Kashmir province that has been under Chinese occupation since 1962 - the Daulat Beg Oldi airfield will improve India's logistical support to its troops deployed along its 4,057-kilometer disputed frontier with China. The Daulat Beg Oldi airfield was set up in 1962 in the run-up to the brief but brutal Sino-Indian war. The Indian Air Force (IAF)operated American-supplied Fairchild Packets from this airfield between 1962 and 1965. Then in 1966 an earthquake in the region loosened the surface soil, making it unsuitable for fixed-wingaircraft to land on the airfield. It was subsequently shut down. On May 31, for the first time in almost 43 years, an IAF AN-32 transport aircraft landed at the Daulat Beg Oldi airfield. Regular operations will begin in due course. At a height of 4,960 meters (16,200 feet) the airfield is the world's highest. "The airfield can be used for touching down and dropping or picking up troops and supplies, not forward operations," said air commodore and former deputy director of the Delhi-based Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Prashant Dik****. The IAF plans to reopen Chushul (located south of Pangong Lake and near a vital supply road to Leh) and ****he airfields in eastern Ladakh, also along the Chinese border. The Daulat Beg Oldi airfield is located a mere eight kilometers from Aksai Chin and the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control in this sector. It overlooks China's Xinjiang province and more importantly, the strategic Karakoram Highway that links China with Pakistan. It is near the Karakoram Pass and lies east of the Siachen Glacier. The airfield is "very critical to deal with incursions from China and Pakistan", Phunchok Stobdan, senior fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi, told Asia Times Online. "Besides, in the event of war, its proximity to the Karakoram Highway will give India a significant edge." The reopening of Daulat Beg Oldi airfield has ruffled feathers in Beijing. China is reported to have expressed its "unhappiness" over the Indian move. "This is not surprising given the airfield's proximity to Aksai Chin," said an Indian intelligence official. Roughly covering an area of 42,685 square kilometers, Aksai Chin is an icy, high-altitude desert in the extreme northeast of Jammu and Kashmir. In the late 1950s, India discovered that China had quietly constructed a road through this remote plateau. Then in the 1962 war, China occupied some 38,000 square kilometers of territory in Aksai Chin. This remains under Chinese occupation to date. Aksai Chin's importance to China, especially in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, lay in the access it provided to Tibet. Of the three routes from China into Tibet, the westerly route from Kashgar into the Tibetan plateau via Aksai Chin was the best. As John Garver points out in his book Protracted Contest: Sino-Indian Rivalry in the Twentieth Century, the western route via Aksai Chin "has a much more continuous rise in elevation than either the northern [via Qinghai] or the eastern route [via Sichuan]. On the western route, once you have climbed up to 4,600 meters (14,000 feet) or so, you more or less stay there and in any case do not have to descend back down to 2,400 meters [8,000 ft] elevation to start over, as with the Sichuan route". Besides, although winters in the west are bitterly cold they have little snow. Of the three routes it is the route via Aksai Chin that is open year-round, throughout both the winter and the monsoon season. For China, which needed to send troops, officials and supplies to consolidate control over Tibet, Aksai Chin was a vital lifeline. "Control of Aksai Chin was thus essential to Chinese control of western Tibet and very important to its control over all of Tibet," wrote Garver. Indian troops stationed near the Line of Actual Control have hitherto depended largely on air-dropped supplies. That will now change with aircraft landing here. According to the IAF, the Daulat Beg Oldi airfield has been reopened to facilitate rotation of troops stationed in the area and to provide then with regular supplies. "The temperature plummets in winter and all supply routes are cut. The only way out is through the air and helicopters can only service a little," said Air Marshal P K Barbora, Western Air Command's commander-in-chief. "By reactivating the airfield, India would like to be seen as exercising a more assertive presence in this area. Most of all it will be a great morale booster for our troops positioned there. Landing at Daulat Beg Oldi airfield will enable India to induct troops swiftly, improve communication network and increase the air effort in the region substantially," Barbora added. "The reopening of the field is a signal to China that India will take steps to protect its national interest," Dik**** told Asia Times Online. IDSA's Stobdan said that India is trying to counter the "dozens of provocations from China". Earlier, there was a "general apathy in India's response to Chinese moves". Financial constraints and fear of China resulted in a more cautious response. "That has been changing over the past two to three years," said Stobdan, pointing to Delhi's decisions to improve connectivity and road infrastructure along the Sino-Indian frontier. "Its level of confidence vis-a-vis China has gone up and it is showing that it will take steps to consolidate its position in its peripheries." The decision to reopen Daulat Beg Oldi airfield is part of this larger effort to improve preparedness vis-a-vis China. "India is preparing for contingency," said Dik****. The reopening has come amid increasing Chinese incursions into Indian territory, especially over the past year. Concern is mounting in India over China's massive buildup of military infrastructure and its robust road-building activity along all sectors of the Sino-Indian border. A month ago, bilateral tensions spiked when China laid claim to a 2.1 square kilometer tract of land called the "Finger Area" in the northern most tip of Sikkim, which overlooks the strategic Sora Funnel. Chinese troops threatened to demolish stone structures in the Finger Area and their threats were endorsed by officials, who reiterated the warning to Indian diplomats. Sikkim's boundary with Tibet, which falls within the middle sector of the Line of Actual Control, was considered to be the least complicated of the three sectors. This is the only part of the Sino-Indian frontier that China had accepted as settled; this is the only sector where the two sides have exchanged maps. But this did not prevent Beijing from dragging it back into the border dispute. Indian analysts are of the opinion that the Chinese claims over the Finger Area together with earlier incidents of Chinese troops destroying Indian bunkers near the Sino-Sikkim-Bhutan tri-junction and its objections to India beefing up its troops in the Siliguri Corridor indicate China's hardening stance on the border issue. There is growing impatience in India with what is seen as the government's weak response to persistent Chinese bullying and arm-twisting on the border issue and its unsubtle pressure on India to clamp down on Tibetan protests. While the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)government of going soft on China because of its dependence on support from the left parties. Analysts have castigated the government for its "lamb-like approach" and for sweeping crucial issues under the carpet, while newspaper editorials have pointed to the UPA government losing momentum on the border negotiations and "in danger of yielding ground on the Sino-Indian frontier". "No doubt, the two countries have to work closely and avoid potential points of conflict, but it is meaningless and short-sighted to ignore the differences," observed the Times of India. Stobdan points out that in the runup to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August, China is vulnerable: "This provides India with a window of opportunity to assert itself. But this window will close soon." China can be expected "to up the ante after the Olympic games in August 2008", warned Shantonu Choudhry, a former vice chief of army staff, in an article in the Indian Express. "The probability of an all-out border war is low, [but] a series of border skirmishes is a distinct possibility," he writes, adding that the "attempt will be more flagrant if India's political center is perceived as weak and pusillanimous". India will have to learn to stand firm against China, without being seen as confrontational. Is the re-opening of Daulat Beg Oldi a step in that direction?
Very interesting read, tiger. Thanks! India needs to secure its frontier. It's disturbing that Sikkim, as the article pointed out, was the most "settled" of the Sino/Indian border disputes, yet China is being aggressive there. They don't seem to care if they anger India while doing so. I think that's pretty short-sighted. Impeach Bush.
Wow, one sided article with shoddy information that pathetically attempts to paint China as being aggressive and Deckard agreeing to it? Now why ain't I surprised. The only bilaterally agreed to border line between British India and China was the MacCartney-MacDonald Line. It would put the disputed regions in Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh under Chinese control. The Chinese only "militarily occupy" the region in the sense that they occupy their own territory. The McMahon Line, which the Indians like to claim (and beyond, and I hardly see the basis how) has no merit as it NEVER was agreed by China. The idiotic portrayal of China as the aggressor doesn't hold much water. In 1962, it kind of was Nehru's Forward Policy that kicked the powder keg. I'm wondering why the pro-India (or should I rightfully say the anti-China camp) fail to mention this. Of course, it certainly wasn't a Chinese defense minister that said India is the country's biggest enemy. The reverse is true. And of course the Sikkim border is the most settled border between the two countries. In a show of good faith last year, the Chinese government finally acknowledged that Sikkim is a part of India, angering quite a few Sikhs in the process. Yet the article fails to mention this. I wonder why. China needs Aksai Chin to control western Tibet? News to me. Indians with a severe case of inferiority complex and their supporters need to wake up and smell the coffee. The Chinese simply don't care enough about what goes on in India to hold an aggressive stance. They are more concerned with American encirclement instead of anything else.
Btw, large tracts of Jammu and Kashmir in which the article implied as Indian territory militarily occupied by China were ceded to China by Pakistan. It has nothing to do with India.
Except it wasn't pakistan's to cede. It's like India deciding to cede Tibet to the Dali Lama. By the way, why should anyone respect the borders of China? I don't want to get into an argument, but on this point, I have to say I really disagree. China has always been very aggressive with it's neighbors and it tries to spin itself of as the victim. But it's not.
Whether it was Pakistan's to cede would depend on if you were Pakistan or India. Here's a map from UT that's pretty good. Note how the area ceded to China by Pakistan is claimed by India. Trim Bush.
I wrote a small but informative research paper on the sino-indian war. If anyone is interested in a concise explanation of the war, tell me and I will upload it.
Says who? The Indians? Both India and Pakistan claimed Kashmir. The portion of the territory in question was under Pakistani jurisdiction and recognized internationally as being under Pakistani jurisdiction. Trying to imply any parallel between Kashmir and Tibet is highly ludicrous. On whom exactly was China "very aggressive" towards? China, now being the country that borders the most other countries at 13 was able to settle its border with 12 of them. Guess which one is the lone hold out. India on the other hand, let's see, they overran the puny Portuguese conclave of Goa, had three wars with Pakistan, a war with China and is essentially has hostile relations with just about every one of its neighbours. China certainly isn't the one being aggressive and portraying itself as the victim here.
Right, because China settled it's dispute with tibet by conquering it and annexing - and that's called non-aggression? Look at Tibet, Taiwan, the Spratly islands, and India. Not to mention it's efforts in Vietnam, Korea, and constant conflict with Japan. And yet - it's the victim???? It's one of the worlds most powerful nations with a massive nuclear arsenal and one of the largest armies in the world - and somehow it's this peaceful non-aggressive nation? C'mon.
I'm trying to figure out if you are purposely dense or just plain stupid. Tibet WAS NOT conquered. There is a complex history behind the region, but in 1959, no country or international organization recognized Tibet as anything other than A PART OF CHINA. The CCP put down an armed uprising. End of story. Tibet and Taiwan are both historically a part of China and recognized internationally as such. The Chinese were also the first ones to lay claim to the Spratly, before many of the other claimees were independent countries in their regard. Korea was fought at the request of ONE OF THE KOREAN FACTIONS, namely the North. Vietnam was fought after it invaded Cambodia, a Chinese ally; actively attacked Chinese shipping vessels in the Spratlys AND escalated border skirmishes along the Chinese-Vietnam border, backed by the Soviets of course. And there HASN'T been an armed conflict between China and Japan since WWII, i.e., before the CCP was in power. Which conflict are you referring to specifically? Of course, I also ain't surprised that you picked Japan as an example, a country more despised in the region as India. That's hard to beat. There are plenty of figures that would show that China has a nuclear arsenal smaller than the UK and France, both a small fraction the size and population. Massive? Maybe you need to re-examine your definition of the word. One of the largest armies in the world? Last time I checked, that's because it is the third largest country in the world bordering the more countries than anybody other than Russia, with the largest population to match. In other words, they've actually got a lot to spend. The Chinese army is still using planes and ships with 1960's technology, thanks to Deng Xiaoping's zero defense spending policy in the 80's, one reason it is so far behind today. And you know the part that tops it all? With such a "power" and "massive" army, China doesn't use it. But smaller and less India uses it plenty. C'mon what? Reveal your pathetic understanding of history and geopolitics?
To be fair...I really don't understand why India wants the disputed territory in the first place, it looks like a pissing match over a half-empty bottle of Corona.
Oh LOOK! It's MFW -- and he's calling people "PATHETIC" again! Big news! You're the worst friend China ever had. If you really loved your PRC-y country, you would shut the hell up and throw your computer out the window because all you do is humiliate it when you log on to the interwebz - I'm being 100% serious.
I will agree with you on Taiwan -- historically, prior to becoming an independent sovereign nation - Taiwan was a part of China.
Silly Sammy, I don't represent China in any way, shape or form. I speak on my own behalf. The only thing humiliating on here is your routine lack of argument and question dodging. This part is just funny. Even in the Republic of CHINA's own constitution, Taiwan is a part of China. Taiwan only was a sovereign country in you and Sammy's circle jerk sessions.
