China-India border: New Delhi redirects Pakistan-facing troops, tanks before 13th round of LAC talks

In the run-up to the meeting, both India and China have ramped up deployments along their 3,488km shared border

Experts say it signals New Delhi’s ongoing shift in posture towards Beijing, from defensive to offensive, even as the two sides say they want to ease tensions

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Indian army soldiers near a mountain pass connecting Srinagar to Ladakh, bordering China. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:33pm, 5 Oct 2021Updated: 10:55pm, 6 Oct 2021

Military commanders from China and India are expected to hold a 13th round of talks on their border dispute by the middle of this month – but in the run-up to the dialogue, the nuclear-armed neighbours have ramped up deployments along their 3,488km (2,167 mile) shared border.

New Delhi has sent 50,000 additional troops to the Himalayan areas of the undemarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to recent Indian media reports.

French-made Rafale fighter jets armed with long-range missiles will support soldiers on the ground in Ladakh, who are equipped with 105mm field guns and M777 howitzers. The M777s can be moved from one sector to another with Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.

In addition, the military also has 100 K9-Vajra howitzers. Much of the equipment has been redirected from India’s border with arch-rival Pakistan.

Meanwhile, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has stepped up night drills and brought in more advanced equipment close to the Himalayan border, including new PHL-11 truck mounted self-propelled 122mm multiple rocket launchers.

Last weekend, Indian army chief General Manoj Naravane, while on a visit to Leh, the capital of the northeastern region of Ladakh, told local media that the military was matching Chinese deployments and was “quite well poised to meet any eventuality”.

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