Amid the ongoing efforts to resolve the India-China standoff, the Chinese have been building up their troop strength along the Line of Actual Control as they have brought in a large number of heavy vehicles with artillery guns and infantry combat vehicles which can be deployed near the Indian territory in a matter of few hours. The development is taking place even as the Indian and Chinese side have been talking to each other at the battalion and brigade level which have not yielded any results so far. "It seems that the Chinese side is buying time through talks and using it to build up on its side of the LAC.
On the other hand, talks at Commanding Officer and Brigade commander level are taking place on almost daily basis but have not shown any result. Now, Major General-rank officers of both sides would be meeting soon to discuss the ways to end tension in the area," sources said. The Chinese have been demanding a freeze on infrastructure development by India on its side of the LAC.
A number of face-offs have taken place between the troops of both sides with the Chinese trying to carry out deeper incursions. These are in addition to the major face-off at the Finger area in May third week. Sources said, in response to the Chinese build-up, India has "more than matched" the reinforcements on its side of the LAC. In the initial phase of the ongoing dispute, the Chinese were successful in surprising the Indian side by swiftly moving over 5000 of its troops all along the LAC and at some places in the Indian territory also. India has moved in additional troops from a reserve division near the Union Territory of Ladakh and they are trained for high altitude warfare.
VIDEO SHOWING CLASHES DENIED: Meanwhile, responding to a video that surfaced on the social media purportedly showing clashes between the two sides, the Army on Sunday said no violence is taking place between the two sides. "The contents of the video being circulated are not authenticated. Currently no violence is happening. Attempt to link it with the situation on the Northern borders is mala fide."," the Army said in a statement. However, the Army did not clarify whether it was a video of earlier clashes. Unverified images showing injuries to Indian soldiers have also emerged on the social media.
