The ninth round of India-China military dialogue is expected to take place once the newly appointed PLA Western Theater Commander Gen Zhang Xudong completes his military familiarization and troop deployment on the Indian border. General Zhang, who has never served on the Indian border or in Tibet, replaced Tibet veteran General Zhao Zongqi on December 21. General Zhao was the main executor of Beijing’s aggression in Doklam in 2017 and in eastern Ladakh in May 2020.
According to senior officials, the December 18 meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (CMMC) ended on a positive note, but the ninth round of military talks is crucial, as both sides are expected to work towards a withdrawal. and a written withdrawal. escalation agreement. “It is a work in progress and until a firm agreement is reached, India will occupy positions in East Ladakh,” said a military official.
As for the dates of the ninth round, the Indian understanding is that this could be because the new Commander of the PLA Western Theater will take over as the military leader of Tibet and Xinjiang. The process of onboarding a new military commander takes time, as Gen Zhang is expected to visit the key deployments and receive their operational reports on the situation along the 3,488-kilometer Royal Line of Control (LAC).
For now, Indian officials said they hope the new military commander will take a similar line against India as the previous one, as Beijing appeared to be pulling the strings to keep East Ladakh in showdown mode to achieve its strategic goals for the 100th year. of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021.
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President Xi is expected to cast China as the world’s economic and military power ahead of the major celebrations of the Communist Party of China centennial in July next year. It was in this context that President Xi, in his speech at the Central Economic Work Conference earlier this month, omitted any negative references to future challenges for the economy, a contrast to his speech at the forum last year when he spoke. of “Downward economic pressure.”
As part of this script in East Ladakh, the PLA is expected to keep up the pressure, despite the fact that the entire bilateral relationship with India has been put into play on mountainous terrain between finger 4 and finger 8 on the banks. from North. of Pangong Tso ice cream.
The Chinese propaganda media, for their part, are, as usual, blaming India and right-wing nationalism for exaggerating the threat from the Middle Kingdom and using it to decouple economic ties. The Communist Party spokesman has reminded India of the difference in military power between two neighbors even though it is neither proven nor proven. He has also tried to ridicule the visit of the Indian army chief, General MM Naravane, on December 23 to the Ladakh front line, on the southern bank of Pangong Tso, saying that the troops who accepted the sweets from the military commander will be the that “will be swept away” if India does not withdraw.
The Indian army dominates the Rezang La-Rechin La mountain range in the Kailash Ranges after specialized troops on August 29 and 30 preempted a Chinese plan to force the 1959 line on the southern shores.
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