NEW DELHI – Locals from the Arunachal Pradesh province of India haveclaimed that India and China, which can’t agree on the border in theregion, have once more been drawn into a border spat over Chineseconstruction in the disputed area – a charge that Beijing has flatlydenied, Sputnik has reported.
Chinese and Indian troops have allegedly faced off in Arunachal Pradeshsince December 28, with a similar backstory to the standoff in the DoklamPlateau over the summer. Chinese workers were allegedly constructing arailway track half a mile into the disputed territory when Indian troopsstopped them.
The workers fell back, but were replaced by the People’s Liberation Army(PLA). The troops pitched tents along the road, local man Nyomin Teksengtold Express. “The road cutting is also clearly visible from the right bankof Siang river at Gelling, which is about 7-8 km by aerial distancefrom the site,” he said.[image: Indian army soldiers patrol at the Indo China border in Bumla at analtitude of 15,700 feet (4,700 meters) above sea level in ArunachalPradesh, India. (File)]
“Indian and Chinese troops had pitched tents at the freshly cut road andhad erected a boulder wall.”
New Delhi has been silent about the supposed standoff, and Indian media hasdenied that there was any such face-off and said the issue was resolveddiplomatically.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, has disputed that its troops wereinvolved in any scuffle with New Delhi over Arunachal Pradesh. Ministryspokesman Geng Shuang added that China “never acknowledged the existenceof so-called Arunachal Pradesh” on Wednesday.
Arunachal Pradesh has been disputed between India and China for over acentury, as India holds de facto control over the province while Beijingclaims it to be “South Tibet” and the sovereign territory of the PRC.
This border dispute exploded into armed conflict in 1962 during theSino-Indian War, which China decisively won after a month of fighting.However, the PRC chose not to press their advantage and cause the limitedwar spiral into a full-scale conflict when the US threatened to cometo India’s assistance.
Instead, China returned captured Indian settlements and retreated to thepre-war borders. In 1993, a standoff between the two nations ensuednear the line, but it was resolved peacefully after three weeks.
More recently, in mid-June, India and China faced off over the remoteDoklam Plateau, which is disputed between China and India’s close allyBhutan. Chinese builders and soldiers appeared in the plateau to extend aroad, and India responded by deploying troops to the disputed territory.
For 10 weeks, PLA and Indian military troops faced off a few hundred metersapart. Both nations pulled their troops back on August 28 following quietnegotiations between the two powers, and the road-building came to an end.
However, local media outlets have reported that China continues to maintaina large military presence near the disputed region, with Indian newspapersreporting that the PLA was building permanent military barracks a few milesaway from the disputed line.