India-China tension: Sumdorong Chu military standoff that took 9 years to defuse
The Ladakh standoff continues despite rounds of military and diplomatic-level talks between the two countries. However, this is not the longest military standoff between India and China. One particularly India-China military standoff took nine years to defuse.
by Prabhash K DuttaIndia-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh has continued for over 130 days or four months. The Doklam standoff of 2017 had ended in 70-odd days. This time around, both sides have ramped up their presence in the high mountains and look prepared for a long winter.
The Ladakh standoff continues despite rounds of military and diplomatic-level talks between the two countries. However, this is not the longest military standoff between India and China. One particularly India-China military standoff took nine years to defuse.
It happened in the Sumdorong Chu area of Arunachal Pradesh, which got its statehood during and as a result of the India-China military standoff that began in June 1986 and complete disengagement could happen only in 1995.
WHAT BROUGHT INDIA AND CHINA FACE-TO-FACE?
Since the 1962 war, India had resisted strengthening its position along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the international border with China. There was a sense in the Indian government that any military buildup or infrastructural push in the border area might irk China.
This policy of “neglect” changed after Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980. The previous Janata Party government had already broken the ice with its External Affairs Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee paying a visit to China, and emphasising the overall development of the two countries.
The Indira Gandhi government approved an infrastructure and military upgrade plan prepared by then Army chief General KV Krishna Rao. The plan also included the sporadic deployment of the Indian armed forces along the LAC with China.
Another background to this plan was China’s push for infrastructure development in border and LAC areas putting pressure on Tawang, the Arunachal Pradesh district which China claimed as its own.
The Indira Gandhi government thought it pertinent to make sure that Tawang is defended if China made any move. Indian forces used to patrol the border regions but making sure that its permanent positions did not irk China.
In the summers of 1984, India erected an observational post on the bank of Sumdorong Chu, a river that flows along the India-China border for some distance. A special unit of the armed forces manned the post during the summers but vacated in the winters due to hostile weather conditions.
THE STANDOFF
Things took a turn in June 1986, when the Indian forces returned for their summer manning. They found a band of Chinese soldiers building some permanent structure. The message was relayed to the superiors and through them to New Delhi. India officially lodged a complaint with China, which denied intrusion.
By August the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ramped up its presence by deploying around 200 soldiers. The Chinese forces constructed a helipad in the area.
The Rajiv Gandhi government following the assassination of Indira Gandhi the new chief of the Indian Army General K Sunderji planned a truce offer. India suggested if China withdrew from Sumdorong Chu, India would not occupy the area next summer.
China flatly refused, prompting General Sunderji to come up with Operation Falcon. An entire brigade was airlifted to Zimithang, the nearest helipad. The Indian forces built-up pressure on the Chinese troops which had aggressive intent by occupying the Hathung La, across the Namka Chu from Thag La.
Soon there was a threat from Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping saying China would “teach India a lesson” just like 1962. The threat was met with India granting Arunachal Pradesh full statehood within two months, that is, in December 1986.
Things escalate further in 1987 summers, when the Chinese troops moved forward. China deployed some 20,000 soldiers. India too responded in equal measure. Troop’s buildup continued at the border in the first half of 1987, when India’s External Affairs Minister undertook a China visit to make a fresh attempt to defuse tension.
THE FINAL DISENGAGEMENT
Besides its Army divisions, India had moved the ground support and fighter-bomber aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to airfields in Assam and North Bengal. The careful strategy by General Sunderji resulted in Indian forces occupying a vantage position over the Chinese forces.
Sensing the futility of its military design, China invited Rajiv Gandhi for talks. Rajiv Gandhi toured China in 1988 in the middle of a military standoff. During Rajiv Gandhi’s visit, India and China agreed to reduce tension on the border and set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) to resolve boundary disputes.
The meetings of the JWG continued and so did the military standoff at Sumdorong Chu or Wangdung as the Chinese call it. The number of troops, however, from both sides reduced significantly.
India and China signed an agreement in 1993 for “the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)”. Two years later in August 1995, the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops at Sumdorong Chu ended. Diplomacy coupled with military strategy by India forced China to agree to disengage and pull back.