India China Talk: On April 16 2023, India and China held Major-General level talks at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in Eastern Ladakh. DBO is important to the Indian military as it provides access to the Tibet-Xinjiang highway. This highway passes through the Aksai Chin area which was occupied by the Chinese Army in the 1950s. In 1962, both countries fought a bitter war to resolve the Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh borders. China claims ownership over both of these areas.
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Last month, both countries held Corps Commander level talks concerning the Ladakh area. DBO is part of Ladakh, which is defended by a corps led by a Corps Commander. These talks are crucial because they prevent future military clashes like the one that happened in Galwan, Eastern Ladakh in 2021.
The Galwan clash
India and China both lost several soldiers in the Galwan conflict which was triggered because China was making new constructions in the disputed area. The Indian side objected to these constructions, and this objection led to physical fights between the two sides. In the resulting skirmish, India lost 22 soldiers. China also lost several troops, but we would never know the exact numbers.
The Galwan clash underscored the growing tension between India and China. Both countries have never gone to war since 1962, and this was the first time since the 1960s they killed each other’s troops. Another worrying factor is that both Asian powers have nuclear weapons. Therefore, talks are important between Beijing and New Delhi.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
China and India are also members of the SCO which aims to promote cooperation among its member states. The Corps Commander talks helped set the tone of the meeting between the Defence Ministers of the two countries in April 2023. Furthermore, the future of SCO depends on the peaceful relations between its member countries, in this case, India and China.
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