Posted on 01/05/2018 12:44:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
CHINESE road-builders were caught up in a dramatic face-off after being confronted by Indian troops as they tried to carry out work on disputed territory.
By VICKIIE OLIPHANT PUBLISHED: 14:04, Fri, Jan 5, 2018 | UPDATED: 16:24, Fri, Jan 5, 2018
Construction teams reportedly had crossed into the town of Arunachal Pradesh - an area India considers to be one of its 29 states, but China claims the zone as part of southern Tibet.
The territory became a key focus of a 1962 war fought between the Asian giants, and remains a hotly contested region.
At the end of December, Chinese personnel almost came to blows with Indian officials are they were allegedly caught doing railway track construction work in the area.
When the workers were confronted by Indian troops, they returned but left their road building equipment - which was damaged by locals in a fit of rage.
Witness Nyomin Tekseng said that two excavator machines were confiscated.
He added: "The road cutting is also clearly visible from the right bank of Siang river at Gelling which is about 7-8 km by aerial distance from the site.
“Indian and Chinese troops had pitched tents at the freshly cut road and had erected a boulder wall.”
When locals first spotted the Chinese road-builders, they informed the police who in turn spread the news - and even the Indian Army was deployed to settle the dispute.
There was reportedly an exchange of words as Chinese workers initially refused to yield, but later left the site.
The incident took place on December 28, nearly four months after the end of the 73-day long Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector.
But China’s Foreign Ministry denied having knowledge about reports that its troops were locked in a standoff.
A spokesman said the two countries had mature border controls and maintaining peace along the border was important for both.
And ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang reiterated China’s stance of not acknowledging the existence of “Arunachal Pradesh”.
He said: “First of all, on the border issue, our position is clear and consistent. We never acknowledged the existence of so-called Arunachal Pradesh.”
In a clash between builders and armed soldiers I’m going to guess that the armed soldiers will win 9 times out of 10...
China is reminded of what the muslims found out - Indians will fight, and there are a lot of them.
China could dominate India from this location. The Chinese want to prevent India from becoming a threat and from being a regional power. They may be moving now as Trump will probably not get involved or even Tweet while he needs their help on North Korea. On the other hand, it’s possible that if China over plays their hand they may suddenly find that a lot of other players, like the Philippines and Taiwan may do something while the Chinese are otherwise occupied. That’s the nature of conflict. It has a tendency to get out of hand very quickly and China has threatened virtually all of its neighbors and other regional players.
On the other, other hand, India’s military is, by all accounts, under equipped and outmoded. Still, a conflict between nuclear powers has all sorts of dangers because neither side will allow itself to lose. The best option is continued standoffs.
Guess you never saw “Fighting Seabees”.
But those were ARMED builders. That’s what makes the difference...
Might be a little easier to take the Chinese side, if it wasn't claiming territory on a southern border of a region it has already absorbed through force.
I just have to say it was very thoughtful of the Chinese builders to provide the shovels...
I was reading somewhere that Xi Jinping does not have full control of the military although he is trying to consolidate power, and that moves like this are sometimes made by generals without top level approval or without their knowledge.
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