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Between India and China, the ninth round of military dialogue is expected to start as soon as the newly-appointed PLA Western Theatre Commander Gen Zhang Xudong completed his military familiarization and troop deployments on the Indian border. On 21st December, Gen Zhang who has never served the Indian border or Tibet took over from Tibet veteran Gen Zhao Zongqi. Gen Zhao was the principal implementer of Bejing aggression in Doklam in 2017 and East Ladakhin in 2020.
On 18th December, as per the senior officials, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) has ended on a positive note. However, the ninth round of military talks is crucial as both countries need to work out the disengagement and de-escalation agreement. Military office exclaimed, “It is work in progress and till such time a firm agreement is not chalked out, India is holding positions on East Ladakh.”
The ninth round of dates depends on the new PLA Western Theatre Commander taking over the military leader of Tibet and Xinjiang. The induction process of the new military commander takes time as Gen Zhang is expected to visit the key deployments and receives his operative briefings about the situation along the 2488-Kilometer Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Indian officials assume that the new military commander will be taking a similar line against India. As the last one since Beijing appeared to be pulling the strings to keep the east Ladakh in stand-off mode for achieving its strategic objectives at the time of the 100th year of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021.
President Xi is expected to project China as the global economic and military power ahead of the Communist Party of China’s main centenary celebration in the next year July. Earlier this month, at the Central Economic Work Conference, President Xi shared his speech where he skipped all negative references to challenges ahead for the economy. In his speech he spoke of “downward economic pressure.”
As a part of the script in East Ladhak, the PLA is expected to keep up the pressure, even though the whole bilateral relationship with India has been put to stake on a piece of mountainous land between finger 4 and finger 8 on the northern banks of the frozen Pangong TSO.
Well, the Chines propaganda media on its part is blaming India and right-wing nationalism for hyping up the threat from the Middle Kingdom and using it for the decouple economic ties. The Communist Party mouthpiece has reminded India of the military power differential between the two neighbors even though it is proven and untested. It is also tried to ridicule India Army Chief Gen MM Naravane December 23 visit to the LAdhak front-line on the southern banks of Panging TSO by saying that the troops who accepted sweets from the military commander will be the ones to “get dragged down” in case India doesn’t withdraw.
Well, the Indian Army dominates the Rezang La-Rechin on Kailash Ranges after specialized troops on 29th-30th august pre-empted a Chines plan to force the 1959line on the Sothern banks.
