Indian, Chinese patrols clash on Pangong lake

Amid strained ties over the Doklam standoff in the Sikkim sector, Indian and Chinese boat patrols clashed on the Pangong lake in Ladakh on Tuesday even as the People’s Liberation Army declined the Indian invitation to participate in ceremonial border meetings on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. This is the first time since 2005 that the PLA has declined to meet with their Indian counterpart.

Doklam standoff: Here is all that happened in the past 24 hours

1. Indian and Chinese boat patrols clashed with each other at Pangong Tso lake in Ladkah at 7:30 am near the Finger-6 part of the 135-km long lake, one-third of which is in Indian control and the rest under Chinese control. The brief standoff led to jostling and exchange of blows between soldiers of the two armies. No shots were fired though.

2. Sources told the Indian Express said at least 52 trucks belonging to the Chinese army were spotted parked on the road built by the Chinese on the side of the lake but they moved out by the evening. The Indian Army, however, refused to comment on the issue.

3. This fresh standoff at Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh comes in the backdrop of tensions between Indian and Chinese troops over Doklam plateau in Sikkim sector with the PLA skipping the ceremonial border meetings on Independence Day.

4. For the first time since 2005, the ceremonial meeting with the troops of both sides was not held on August 15. Another ceremonial meeting, which used to be held on the Chinese side on August 1, the founding day of the PLA, was also not held this year.

5. Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a stand-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for seven weeks now after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. China claimed that they were constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau. New Delhi has expressed concern over the road building, apprehending that it may allow Chinese troops to cut India’s access to its northeastern states.

6. India has conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

7. Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. China also claims that Thimphu has no dispute with Beijing over Doklam.