China’s reference to a 1959 definition of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that was never accepted by India highlights Beijing’s reluctance to disengage, experts and senior army officer said, adding that the claim has also served to puncture the country’s claim that it did not transgress into Indian territory in the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh.
“India doesn’t recognise the 1959 claim line. However, even as per the Chinese interpretation of the 1959 line, the LAC runs through Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan valley. But the June 15 skirmish took place 800 metres west of their own claim line. Their intention is to grab territory,” a senior Indian Army officer tracking the situation along the LAC said on condition of anonymity.
China’s assertion that it abides by the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as proposed by Premier Zhou Enlai to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (who rejected it) in 1959 has complicated the border row . By bringing up the 1959 LAC, China is just hardening its position and making a resolution even more difficult, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).
Beijing’s position, made known in an exclusive statement to Hindustan Times amid the ongoing border friction in eastern Ladakh, is a reiteration of the long-existing differences on the boundary question and a sign that the ongoing military standoff is unlikely to be resolved soon.
“India has never accepted the 1959 LAC. Not at the time it was brought up in 1959, not after the 1962 war when it was referred to in the unilateral ceasefire announced by China, or at any time after that. By referring to this, they seem to indicate that disengagement is unlikely,” Hooda added.
China is attempting to justify its salami-slicing tactics by referring to the 1959 claim line, another senior Army officer added on condition of anonymity. Salami slicing refers to a string of small, clandestine operations meant to achieve a larger goal that would be difficult to accomplish in one go.
