Washington: India has now made preparations to tighten the reins on China’s aggressive activities on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India. India is preparing for a joint military exercise with the US less than 100 kilometers (62 mi) from the disputed border with China. This military exercise will be conducted in mid-October at Auli in Uttarakhand at an altitude of 10,000 feet. In which the focus will be on combat training in high-altitude areas. Auli is about 95 km from China’s Line of Actual Control (LAC), which is an inhospitable land.
According to a news agency, this military exercise of both the countries will be as part of the 18th edition of an annual joint exercise. Significantly, relations between India and China have become strained since the bloody conflict between Chinese soldiers and Indian soldiers in the Galvan Valley of Ladakh in June 2020. At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were reported to have died in the Galwan clashes. Tensions have also increased with China’s recent construction of a bridge across the Pangong Tso lake on the border.
During a visit to India earlier this year, US Army Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn had described China’s military gathering near the disputed border as “dangerous”. When asked about this joint exercise, a US Defense Department spokesperson said that the partnership with India is “one of the most important elements of our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region”. Joint military exercises and training programs are included as a significant part of the wider effort. The Yudh Abhyas is an annual bilateral military exercise designed to improve the capabilities of the armies of both sides and tackle a long series of regional security challenges.
