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India's border with China: Who is behind the huge forces?
The border region between India and China has been in a tense situation in recent years. The Galwan Valley conflict in 2020 has been a high-profile conflict, but it is only one of many confrontations. So how can India maintain such a large troop deployment in this tense border situation? And in what way does China maintain peace and stability along its borders? Let's find out.
India: Huge troop deployment and high military spending
India has been increasing its troop deployment in border areas in recent years, and behind it is a huge military expenditure. Foreign media estimate that India's annual military spending on the Sino-Indian border is as high as about $20 billion. This figure is staggering, especially in the current global economic downturn.
India's troop deployment along the Sino-Indian border is huge and vast. They have 13 combat divisions, brigade units and the Indian Air Force. Of these, 11 divisions were located on the front line, including 10 mountain infantry divisions. Overall, about 300,000 Indian soldiers are deployed along the Sino-Indian border. The total strength of the Indian Army is about 1.1 million, which means that a quarter of its troops are deployed along the border.
This large deployment of troops entails high maintenance costs. The mountainous terrain of the highlands makes it much more expensive to deploy troops in the area than in the plains. For example, the strength of a regiment deployed by India in the Siachen glacier region would require at least $1.5 billion per year to maintain the strength of the regiment alone. These high military expenditures have kept India's troop deployment costs along the border high.
PLA: an efficient deterrent
In contrast, the PLA has deployed only three brigades in the Sino-Indian border area, but it can effectively contain a large number of Indian troops and force India to invest huge military expenses every year to maintain this area. The PLA is able to maintain a deterrent against India with fewer troops because it has a range of advantages.
First of all, the three brigades of the PLA deployed on the front line have strong combat effectiveness and are equipped with modern weapons and equipment. They have advanced equipment such as Bobcat assault vehicles and Warrior assault vehicles, which makes them mobile and flexible in highland areas. In addition, the PLA is equipped with a large number of main battle tanks and other modern weapons, forming a strategic force.
Secondly, the PLA has a strong reserve. In the direction of western defense, they adopted a "light on the front, heavy on the back" method of deploying troops. Although the number of troops on the front line is small, the reserve force is very strong. The PLA has four modern composite divisions, including the "Tianshan Iron Cavalry" Division, the "New Zealand Red Army Division", the "Tianshan Xiong Division" and the "Plateau Power Brigade" Division, as well as more than a dozen modern composite brigades under its jurisdiction. The PLA has a well-developed transportation network in the western plateau, which can quickly project reinforcements to the front line, which is the rapid projection capability of plateau troops that the Indian army does not have.
In addition, the PLA's equipment modernization and informationization far exceeds that of the Indian army. They are equipped with a large number of reconnaissance UAVs, which can conduct round-the-clock patrol reconnaissance. The PLA's informationization construction is very perfect, and it can call for long-range fire support in real time, and multi-branch operations can be efficiently coordinated. This includes modern equipment such as long-range rocket artillery, self-propelled howitzers, and large reconnaissance and combat integrated drones, as well as modern air forces such as the J-20, J-10C, J-16 and Air Police -500. This equipment can ensure that the PLA gains air supremacy and delivers effective strikes against ground targets.
Combined with these factors, the PLA's troop deployment in the Sino-Indian border area is relatively small, but it has a strong deterrent force. Although India has deployed troops in the region, it has not gained a combat advantage. This shows that the strategic deployment of the PLA is prepared, while India's huge troop deployment is too ostentatious, but it cannot change the gap in combat strength.
Outlook for the future
In future border conflicts, the PLA will continue to meet challenges with sophisticated equipment and strong reserve forces to ensure regional stability and peace. At the same time, China will continue to uphold the concept of peaceful development and is committed to resolving boundary issues through dialogue and negotiation to promote the development of China-India relations. After all, only through cooperation and mutual trust can we achieve common development and prosperity and ensure long-term peace and stability between the two countries and the region.
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