Kashmir dispute and India’s Himalayan war games jeopardise prospects for Modi-Xi summit
- Beijing and New Delhi are supposed to be enjoying a resurgence in relations as their leaders prepare for another summit next month, but the reality is less rosy
- A border stand-off, the dispute over Kashmir and India’s military games in the Himalayas mean Modi and Xi could find themselves back at square one
Indian and Chinese soldiers came face to face this week in a tense confrontation at their disputed Himalayan border, barely a month before a scheduled “informal summit” between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Chinese forcibly stopped an Indian military patrol on Wednesday at the northern side of Pangong Lake in the disputed area of Aksai Chin, much of which is controlled by Beijing but claimed by New Delhi.
“There were some scuffles and both armies rushed in reinforcements, but within a day it was resolved at a meeting of senior officers,” said an Indian colonel in the region on condition of anonymity.
Retired lieutenant general John Mukherjee, a former chief of staff for India’s Eastern Command, who now heads defence and foreign affairs think tank Ceners-K, said a pattern had emerged to Chinese intrusions.
“They usually happen when their senior leaders are visiting India. This happened during the visits of Premier Li Keqiang in 2013 and President Xi Jinping in 2014,” he said. “We need to check out what signal they are trying to send.”