Describing Xi Jinping as the “architect” of the PLA’s recent aggressive actions against India, a major US magazine reported that the Chinese president has risked his future with high-profile forays into Indian territory that “unexpectedly failed” in the face of fierce counterattack of the Indian army.
Xi, 67, who is already stirring up the Communist Party with a campaign of “rectification” and massive persecution of enemies, will launch “another brutal purge” after the failures of the Chinese army on the border with India, Newsweek said in an article. opinion.
“Unfortunately for Xi, he is the ‘architect’ of these aggressive movements in India and his People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has unexpectedly failed. The failures of the Chinese army on the border with India will have consequences, ”he said, adding that recent events give Xi an excuse to accelerate the pace of replacement of adversaries in the armed forces with loyal elements.
“More importantly, the failures motivate China’s aggressive ruler, who as chairman of the Party’s Central Military Commission, is the leader of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the ruling Communist Party of China, to launch another offensive against the Indian positions, “he said the magazine warned.
Tensions multiplied across LAC in eastern Ladakh after clashes in the Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 members of the Indian army were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties, but details have not yet been released.
“China is believed to have suffered at least 43 deaths in the Galwan clash,” the magazine said.
Quoting Cleo Paskal of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, he said that the death toll of Chinese could exceed 60.
“The Indian troops fiercely fought back. Beijing will not admit the magnitude of the debacle, ”he said.
He said that late last month, for the first time in half a century, India carried out an offensive against China, regaining high ground that the Chinese had recently conquered.
“The Chinese forces were shocked when the Indian troops mounted their attempt to retake high strategic points. The stunned Chinese soldiers withdrew, ”he said.
China’s subsequent efforts to counter the Indian movements proved ineffective. At least for the moment, Indian troops, in the southernmost of the three conflict areas, have control of the territory once they are in the hands of China, “he added.
He said the PLA Ground Force can move against defenseless targets. However, it is unclear how effective it is in battle.
“Ground Force does not have a track record of success in controversial situations. Their last major engagement was in 1979 when, in an effort to ‘teach Vietnam a lesson,’ Chinese troops were repelled and humiliated by their much smaller neighbor, “the magazine noted.
“India is not giving the invaders a chance to improve,” he said, adding that India’s troops are showing “a new boldness.”
“The game has changed,” Paskal said. “You can say that the Indians are more aggressive or more aggressively defensive, but in fact they are bolder and better.” “The setback in the Himalayas poses problems for Xi, which means it poses a problem for everyone else,” he added.
He said that in China’s highly politicized system, the setbacks in Ladakh cannot be perceived as Xi’s fault, so he will almost certainly purge elements of the military. “PLA leaders are beginning to see little option but to take offensive military action to avoid becoming victims of Xi’s internal terror,” said Richard Fisher of the Virginia-based International Center for Evaluation and Strategy.
The Indian Army and the PLA have been locked in a tense clash in multiple areas throughout LAC in eastern Ladakh since early May.
Following a fresh confrontation on the southern shore of Lake Pangong, India further strengthened its military presence in the region by dispatching additional troops, battle tanks and other weapons. Amid the very tense situation in eastern Ladakh, India and China reached an agreement to resolve their border dispute in a meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines. of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). ) get together.
The agreement included measures such as the rapid withdrawal of troops, avoiding actions that could increase tensions, compliance with all agreements and protocols on border management, and steps to restore peace throughout LAC.
He also mentioned that the two sides must accelerate work to conclude “new confidence-building measures” to improve peace and tranquility in the border areas. However, the agreement has not mentioned any timetable for the withdrawal of the troops.
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