Are China and India heading toward a limited war? China has carried out a massive war drill involving thousands of paratroopers to gauge its readiness in transporting PLA soldiers and armoured vehicles from a central Chinese province to border areas near India.
Chinese #PLA recently completed a large-scale maneuver to high-altitude northwestern region within a few hours, demonstrating China's capability of quickly reinforcing border defense when necessary: experts https://t.co/tz0UGnv93s pic.twitter.com/nYqk7RQ58N
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 8, 2020
As reported by the Chinese Global Times – The entire process was performed in just a few hours, demonstrating China’s capability of rapidly bolstering border defences to counter any Indian challenge.
Using passenger jets, logistical transportation channels and railways, thousands of PLA paratroopers were deployed (from Hubei) to an undisclosed location in the plateaus of northwestern China, the GT quoted CCTV.
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These drills saw notable breakthroughs not only in the scale of mobilized troops but also means of transportation. [Using civilian transportation] considerably increased our means of moving forces and enhanced effectiveness in manoeuvring an entire organization of troops,” Major Colonel Mao Lei, head of the training department at the airborne brigade, said on CCTV.
A PLA veteran told the Global Times that the scale and the limited duration to mobilize the forces displayed that the PLA has the ability to project its power anywhere in China very quickly and send reinforcements to remote areas with challenging terrains, including high altitude border regions.
This is not only relevant to the paratroopers who are highly mobile but also ground troops who can form a multidimensional force in an integrated combat system.
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Tanks and armoured vehicles attached to the 76th Group Army under the PLA Western Theater Command also conducted military-drills, GT quoted a Chinese military media outlet China Military. The drills came at a time when China and India are engaged in a severe border standoff and armies of both the nations standing eye to eye in the contentious border areas.
Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, India, China border talks have reportedly been positive after Indian and Chinese armies held Lieutenant General-level talks in their first major attempt to resolve the month-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh.
There was no official word on the result of the meeting between the Indian delegation led by 14 Corps commander Lt-General Harinder Singh and the Chinese side headed by South Xinjiang Military District commander Major General Liu Lin.
The talks were held at the Border Personnel Meeting Point in Maldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. Indian Army spokesperson confirmed that Indian and Chinese officials continue to remain engaged through the established military and diplomatic channels to address the current situation in the India-China border areas.
Saturday’s meeting took place after 12 rounds of talks between local commanders of the two armies and three rounds of discussions at the level of major general-rank officials could not produce any tangible outcome, the sources said.
Sources quoted by TOI claim that the meeting was “positive” and could eventually lead to the restoration of status quo in eastern Ladakh, with both India and China removing armies and heavy military equipment from Pangong Tso, Gogra-Hot Springs area and Galwan Valley region in a phased manner.
