Some time ago, the Sino-Indian front-line border troops successfully achieved disengagement in the Pangong Lake area. The ensuing 10th round of Sino-Indian military commander-level talks spoke positively of this, with a joint press release issued by the two sides holding that "this is an important development and provides a basis for resolving other problems in the area of the Line of Actual Control in the western section of the China-India border."
At the same time, there are some contradictory and different voices in India. Josi, commander of the Northern India Military District, claimed that India had achieved a "huge victory" in the process of disengagement, and that the Chinese side "gained nothing but lose face." The so-called Indian source said that "the Chinese side withdrew first, and the Indian army withdrew again," and also made up that the Chinese side withdrew farther than the Indian side.
As for the list of 4 heroes and soldiers who died in the clashes in the Galwan Valley, Indian netizens have expressed that they cannot accept the fact that the death toll of the Indian side is 5 times that of the Chinese side, and questioned whether China must have concealed the casualty figures. Some netizens calculated according to the Indian army's "one to ten" combat strength, saying that the death toll of the People's Liberation Army should not be less than 200, and some people even regarded Song Jiang and other Water Margin 108s that were viciously speculated on the Internet last year as a list of Chinese deaths.
According to satellite images and authoritative sources, all Indian troops and armored vehicles on the south bank of Pangong Lake have been withdrawn, and all cross-line facilities have been dismantled and destroyed. On the north shore of Pangong Lake, the Indian army retained only a small number of front-line troops at the Dan Singh post near 3 fingers, and the large troops withdrew as far west as 1 finger. If it is necessary to win or lose in the process of withdrawal, even the Indian media admit that the speed of the withdrawal of Chinese armored forces has surprised the Indian side. However, Indian tanks frequently failed during the evacuation process, followed by tank flooding accidents in the Galwan Valley, which is rumored to be one of the reasons for the dismissal of Harindell Singh, the former commander of the Indian 14th Army.
The scene of an Indian soldier wiping out thousands of foreign soldiers in a Bollywood drama is everywhere, but in the real world, punching a fat man in the face will only hit the head and bleed. After all, comparing combat effectiveness with the Platon Army, it is far from enough to rely on the "Indian Spiritual Victory Method" alone.
The Indians sent expeditions deep into the Karakoram Pass
The Times of India reported that the Indian Army is firmly pushing for the promotion and consolidation of India's so-called "legitimate territorial claims" in the northern border region through mountaineering expeditions and research, and that China is portrayed as the other side that makes good use of the "sausage cutting" strategy.
A senior Indian official was quoted as saying that India's territorial claims on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the International Border (IB) need to be promoted by promoting scholarly research and publishing articles in national and international journals. This will also involve the creation of documents, geotagging of places and evidence.
The report revealed that a ski expedition called "ARMEX-21" will cross the Karakoram Pass to the Riplek Pass in about 80-90 days, covering a distance of about 1500 kilometers. The Indian army also plans to carry out more such activities, traveling to peaks along the LAC and IB routes, and working with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and other mountaineering agencies. In addition, the military, civilians and foreigners will also participate.
Chinese experts pointed out that the Indian military has made similar moves in history. The current military confrontation between China and India has come to an end, and the Indian army, under the banner of the mountaineering team, wants not to violate the hard-won withdrawal agreement, but at the same time continues to show its sense of existence in a disguised patrol. Qian Feng believes that the Indian military also does not rule out the intention of using public opinion reports to boost morale and show a positive image to the country.
Indian generals falsely called China "belligerent", and the Indian army wants reform
Rawat spoke at the webinar
"A 'belligerent' China will continue to seek dominance around India." According to the Times of India, India's chief of defence, Bipin Rawat, hyped up that China would continue to assert its position by seeking dominance in India's neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR). However, this seems to be just a prelude to his push for "military change".
He also unreasonably claimed that India had "foiled their evil schemes."
Rawat forcefully "marketed" India's military reforms. "It is more important for us to make military changes now than ever. Our military must be organized to deal with threats, mainly from China and Pakistan. "In the future, China will continue to assert its position and seek to establish dominance in India's neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean Rim region." ”
Rawat proposed a series of concrete measures. "Some of the important steps we need to take include defining the national security strategy, higher-level defense strategy guidance, and the structural reforms needed for higher-level defense and operational institutions."
Since the outbreak of conflict on the Sino-Indian border last year, india has frequently provoked China and hyped up the so-called "China threat theory." In this regard, china has also responded to this on many occasions. On Sino-Indian relations, Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong previously said that first, China's adherence to peaceful development is not a "strategic threat" to India; second, China firmly safeguards national sovereignty and will never engage in aggression and expansion; Third, China advocates win-win cooperation and opposes "zero-sum games".
Show goodwill to the United States India has invested heavily in the introduction of US-made drones
A number of Indian media disclosed that just before the official visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to India, India's defense procurement department had sent a super arms order, planning to spend $3 billion to introduce 30 US armed drones and 6 advanced submarines for arms import orders. Indian media predict that under the banner of "dealing with China", before and after the US defense secretary visits India, the two countries may sign more arms procurement agreements. However, some experts believe that India's opening of the "buy, buy, buy" model for US-made weapons will not only damage the "Made in India" plan of India's defense industry, but also likely offend Russia, a traditional arms trade partner.
India's "Printing News" said that the MQ-9B was not originally a joint procurement target of India's three armed forces. The Indian Navy has a soft spot for high-altitude long-haul time drones, initially planning to purchase 22 U.S.-made MQ-9B SeaGuard reconnaissance drones. However, the Indian Army and Air Force have reservations about the practicality of introducing the MQ-9B. The Trump administration in the United States had previously approved the export of 30 drones to India, and later the Indian military rejected the purchase order on the grounds that the quotation was too high and the low altitude protection was not good. It wasn't until November last year that the Indian Navy leased two unarmed MQ-9B SeaGuard reconnaissance drones from the United States for a one-year lease.
However, since the confrontation with the Chinese military in May last year, the Indian army has strongly felt that "a long-flight drone is needed to maintain continuous surveillance of the border area". To this end, the MQ-9B reconnaissance drone, which was originally used for maritime reconnaissance and surveillance, has also been transferred to the Sino-Indian border to improve the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian army. The excellent performance of these two UAVs has impressed the Indian Navy, Army and Air Force.
A growing number of People in the Indian Military believe that the idea of buying reconnaissance drones and armed drones separately is wrong, and that surveillance and attack operations can be done by the same drone. The Indian military finally made the decision to spend $3 billion to buy 10 MQ-9B Death armed drones for each army, navy and air force, each priced at up to $100 million.
The MQ-9B, manufactured by General Atomic Energy corporation of the United States, is an improved version of the MQ-9 UAV, which can be controlled remotely or fly autonomously, with an endurance of 48 hours and a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles. It has 9 hanging points, in addition to mounting air-to-ground missiles, it can also carry sensors and laser-guided bombs, with a maximum payload of up to 2 tons.
Indian media stressed that the decision to purchase 30 US drones shows that India wants to "get closer" to the United States. The decision came before U.S. Defense Secretary Austin visited India. The U.S. defense secretary's visit to India could be a precursor to an upcoming meeting of the leaders of the Four-Nation Group of Nations of the United States, India, Australia and Japan.
India's "Financial Express" said that India-US military cooperation is constantly getting closer, India in the introduction of American drones at the same time, but also hope to buy more advanced US fighters to fight against "traditional opponents" China and Pakistan. At present, the United States and India have finalized the arms trading contract for 24 MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters, with a total amount of 2.6 billion US dollars, of which the first three will be delivered from June to September this year, and indian navy pilots will go to the United States for training. At the same time, the United States also plans to export 22 "Apache" helicopter gunships and 15 CH-47 transport helicopters to India. In response to India's tender for medium fighter jets, US arms giants Boeing and Lo Ma have also submitted two plans to India, the F-15EX and F-21 (F-16 improved version).
Chinese military experts believe that India has invested heavily in the purchase of advanced UAVS in the United States, objectively there are certain military needs, but the political intention of making overtures to the United States and hoping to deepen cooperation with the United States is more obvious. India is currently one of the countries most affected by the new crown epidemic, and it is eager for the United States to "pull itself along" and needs the economic and military assistance from the United States.
However, the US economy is now also deeply affected by the epidemic, and it is urgent to "find compensation" from abroad, and it is difficult to expect the United States to provide free aid to India. Moreover, from the past history, the foreign aid of the United States has additional conditions, India may lose more due to US aid, and the "Made in India" advocated by the Modi government of India will be seriously affected. In particular, the Indian army's weapons autonomy will become a distant dream. On the other hand, the arrival of US-made weapons will seriously impact the interests of Russia, India's traditional arms trading partner. In particular, at present, the United States is using the "Sanctions Law to Counter the Enemy of the United States Act" to arbitrarily sanction countries that purchase Russian-made weapons, and India is "abandoning Russia and relying on the United States" in arms purchases at this time, which is likely to cause strong dissatisfaction from Russia.
The United States interjected on the "Sino-Indian border issue" again
According to the Hindustan Times, COLIN CARR, THE U.S. PRESIDENT BIDEN'S NOMINATION OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, CLAIMED THAT THE CURRENT TENSIONS ALONG THE SINO-INDIAN BORDER REFLECT A WORRYING TREND THAT CHINA IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY AGGRESSIVE IN THE REGION AND AGAINST ITS ALLIES AND PARTNERS IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH "WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR ALLIES AND PARTNERS."
Karl also claimed, "However, we will continue to support our allies and partners and their ongoing efforts to de-escalate the situation... I will continue to follow the situation closely as both sides work towards a peaceful settlement. ”
Later, Carr also mentioned plans and blueprints for strengthening U.S.-India cooperation. "It is important that I also seek to expand multilateral cooperation with like-minded partners in the region, including through the Quad Security Dialogue (Quad), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other regional institutions (multilateral cooperation)," he said. ”
In response to the settlement of the Sino-Indian border dispute, the Chinese Embassy in India previously issued a statement saying that China has always maintained that the development of bilateral relations between countries should be conducive to regional peace, stability and development, and must not harm the legitimate rights and interests of third parties. The Sino-Indian border issue is a matter between China and India. The two sides have been maintaining communication through diplomatic and military channels on the disengagement and cooling of the situation in the border areas. China and India have the wisdom and ability to properly handle their differences and do not need third party intervention.
US media hype "China-India Demilitarized Zone is beneficial to China"
The situation on the Sino-Indian border has eased markedly, but some US media seem to be a little unable to sit still. Bloomberg published a report titled "The China-India Demilitarized Zone Disturbs Delhi Defense Officials," claiming that India and China are "establishing a demilitarized zone" on the border, a move that infuriated some officials in India's security services, who believe that "the establishment of a demilitarized zone is beneficial to Beijing."
Two Indian officials who "understand the developments" revealed that Indian and Chinese soldiers would no longer patrol along a 9-kilometer stretch of river on the north bank of Pangong Lake. "This outcome will lead directly to the withdrawal of India's troops from the strategic highlands occupied in the covert operations last August." But some officials in India's security services believe that the establishment of a demilitarized zone is beneficial to China, and they have expressed their concerns, but the Indian government has chosen to withdraw quickly.
After China and India reached an agreement on the simultaneous disengagement from the north and south sides of pangong lake, India's mainstream media and some strategic analysts have hyped up the content of "China and India establishing a non-military buffer zone from the fourth to eighth fingers", believing that this move harms India's interests. But Indian officials never heeded it. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Srivastava stressed that "it has never been at the expense of India's territorial interests" and that the military deployment of both sides should not be misread.
Since the clashes between China and India last year, the U.S. media and the U.S. government have also been active. In February, U.S. State Department spokesman Price declared at a news conference that the United States was closely monitoring the border dispute between India and China and supported a peaceful resolution of the dispute through direct dialogue, while stressing that the United States would stand with allies and partners like India.
When India's Congress leader Rahul Gandhi talked about the Sino-Indian border issue during a campaign, he pointed the gun on Modi, accusing the latter of "fearing" China, claiming that Modi's first reaction to China's "invasion" was that "no one has entered India.". "This shows Chinese that the Indian prime minister is afraid of them." Since then, Chinese have negotiated on the basis of this principle. This is not the first time Gandhi has blamed China for Modi.
More than 42,000 Indian soldiers have been infected with the coronavirus
Indian Defense Minister Shripad Naik said a few days ago that 42,848 soldiers in India have been infected with the new crown virus.
In response to the question of the Indian Bundestag in writing on the 8th, Naik pointed out that so far, the number of new crown pneumonia patients in the Indian Army is 32,690, and the case fatality rate is 0.24%. The Indian Air Force and Navy have detected 6,554 and 3,604 confirmed cases of COVID-19, respectively, with mortality rates of 0.39% and 0.05% respectively. Under the regulations, there will be no special compensation for Indian soldiers who die of COVID-19 infection during service, but all soldiers who die during service are entitled to lifetime benefits.
India is currently the second most confirmed country in the world. According to the latest data released by the Indian Ministry of Health on the 9th, the number of confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in India rose to 11244786 cases. In the past 24 hours, there have been 15,388 new confirmed cases in India; There were 77 new deaths, with a cumulative total of 157,930 deaths.
As two large developing countries and emerging economies, China and India are facing the heavy responsibility of developing their economies and improving people's livelihoods and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and should not fight and consume each other on the issue of border territories.
A few days ago, General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly announced to the world that China has won a comprehensive victory in the battle against poverty. The Indian media rarely reported positively on this and sent a soul torture question to the Indian government: Why can China achieve poverty alleviation, but India can't?
It is hoped that the Indian side will draw lessons from the history of the Sino-Indian boundary issue, stop using force and the so-called "forward policy," and achieve peaceful coexistence and common development with China.