Does China Want War With India Over Ladakh Standoff?

China And India War: The Himalayan border has become a bone of contention between India and China raising tensions between the two nations. In a major standoff between New Delhi and Beijing, China has been accused of placing scores of troops in the disputed territory and even expanding a military airbase in the region.

Troops running into thousands of the PLA (People's Liberation Army of China) are said to have penetrated into sensitive regions of the Ladakh border. The Chinese troops have placed heavy machinery and vehicles besides setting up tents in the disputed territory which India considers it's own.

Not wanting to take this lying down, India too has retaliated by moving a battalion from the Ladakh Infantry division to operational alert regions along the border. India has also brought in reinforcement troops.

In a surprise diplomatic mediation, US President offered to step in to mitigate the raging tensions between the two countries. Donald Trump stated that he had expressed as much to both India and China and was readily available to do the needful.

It was in 1962 when China launched an offensive into Indian territory that triggered a mini war. Ever since the Ladakh region has been highly militarized and aggressively contested by both parties as their own.

India has termed China recent border movements and incursions far from routine occurrences. The sudden aggression by China was triggered by India's decision to build roads and air strips along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) to ease the movement of Indian troops in the region as also increase connectivity.

On the other hand, diplomatic parleys are in progress between India and China to ease the escalating tension over the Ladakh standoff.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with Ajit Doval the national security adviser and chief of defence staff to strategies on ways to bolster India's military readiness to tackle external security challenges.

A statement released by external affairs ministry stated that India has always adopted a responsible approach towards border management. Blaming China for provoking military escalation, India said: It was the Chinese side that had recently undertaken activity hindering India's normal patrolling patterns.

Satellite video shows that a lot of construction activity at the Chinese military airbase in the recent past some 120 miles from the border. A new runway suitable for warplanes too has come up in the area recently.

A Chinese foreign ministry statement said that China was committed to safeguarding the security of its national territorial sovereignty, as well as peace and stability in the China-India border areas.

Now, with the military escalation rising in both areas observers are wondering if the sudden movement of Chinese troops in the disputed territory is an indication of war. While diplomatic talks are underway to defuse the tension between the two nations, the movement of troops on both the Indian and Chinese sides signal that both the countries are out to protect their interests.