Latest news with #ActualControl
India.com
13 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
How Did India, China Become Enemies? The Age-Old Rivalry Explained
New Delhi: Tensions between India and China run deep and is rooted in a complex history that predates independence. The origins trace back to 1914 when the British Indian government and Tibet signed an agreement that defined the boundary between India's northeastern region, including Tawang, and Outer Tibet. This boundary was known as the McMahon Line, named after Sir Henry McMahon, who represented Britain during the negotiations. The British later published a map illustrating this boundary in 1938. India gained independence in 1947, followed by the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Since then, Beijing rejected the Shimla agreement made between Britain and Tibet, asserting sovereignty over Tibet and refusing to acknowledge any prior agreements. At that time, China's stance was not overtly aggressive. In 1951, China took control of Tibet, intensifying tensions. Beijing claimed it was liberating Tibet, while India continued to recognise Tibet as a separate entity. In 1972, Arunachal Pradesh was designated a union territory, and by 1987, it attained full statehood, having previously been known as the North East Frontier Agency. This development further aggravated China, which began violating the McMahon Line and ramping up military activity near the Line of Actual Control across more than 1,100 kilometres. China also issued maps asserting claims over parts of Arunachal Pradesh. In 1958, Beijing escalated matters by publishing a new official map that pushed territorial claims beyond previous limits. This map included India's entire northeastern region, along with Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and even parts of Uttar Pradesh. China demanded a survey of these contested areas. On December 14, 1958, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru firmly rejected these demands, declaring that these regions were an integral part of India. Following this, China repeatedly conducted incursions along the disputed border, culminating in the 1962 war. On October 20, 1962, Beijind launched attacks in Ladakh along the McMahon Line. The conflict lasted until November 21, when China withdrew its forces. Since then, tensions have persisted, with frequent border skirmishes, though recent times have seen some easing. At present, relations between the two nations show signs of thawing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit China later this month to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit (his first visit since 2018). The 2020 Galwan Valley clash had strained ties significantly, but subsequent meetings, including last year's summit between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, have helped ease tensions. Against the backdrop of U.S. tariffs and penalties on India, China has voiced support for India, suggesting a cautious but hopeful shift toward cooperation in the future.
India Today
02-08-2025
- Politics
- India Today
India builds road in Bhutan for strategic access near China border
India is building infrastructure near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to improve mobility and military movement. A road has been built in Bhutan near Doklam, where India and China had a standoff in 2017. The road connects to the Haa Valley in Bhutan, which is about 21 kilometres from Border Roads Organisation (BRO) built the road at a cost of about Rs 254 crore. Bhutan's Prime Minister Tobgay Tshering inaugurated the road on Friday. The road will help local people in Bhutan and also improve movement of security forces if road leads to the Chumbi Valley in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Chinese soldiers are deployed in the Chumbi Valley. The road will help the Bhutanese Army reach the border near the Chumbi Valley. It will also help with the movement of supplies. While Bhutan will use the road for now, India will also benefit if there is a need in the future. India is strengthening its ties with Bhutan. Bhutan is close to the India-China border and faces challenges from China. India sees its partnership with Bhutan as important for this STANDOFF In 2017, China tried to build a road to Jamferi Ridge in Doklam. The Indian Army stopped the road construction by launching Operation Juniper. Indian soldiers entered Doklam and stopped the Chinese soldiers. After a 72-day standoff, the Chinese Army China built infrastructure and helipads in Doklam and deployed troops in the area. Doklam is located near Bhutan and lies at the junction of Sikkim, Bhutan, and DANTAKIndian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi recently visited Bhutan and was briefed on the Haa Valley road. Five bridges have been built along the road, and it allows movement in all weather conditions. The road is part of BRO's Project Gen Raghu Srinivasan, Director General of BRO (DGBR), is on an official visit to Bhutan to review the project. He met King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tobgay, who praised BRO's role in Bhutan's Rs 254 crore upgraded Confluence–Haa Road aims to improve transport, tourism, and logistics. BRO has been working in Bhutan since the 1960s. Its work increased after the Doklam standoff in 2017.- Ends
The Hindu
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Dam on upper reaches Brahmaputra will not impact India, Bangladesh: China
China on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) defended the launch of the construction of a dam over the Brahmaputra river in the ecologically sensitive Tibet region and allayed concerns over its impact in the lower riparian countries such as India and Bangladesh. It is learnt that India is keeping a close eye on the construction of what is said to be the world's largest hydropower dam. Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday (July 19, 2025) announced the start of the construction of the dam in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, locally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City located close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Arunachal Pradesh sector. The project 'will not have any negative impact on the downstream regions', Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a media briefing, while responding to a question on concerns in India and Bangladesh over the dam. There have been mounting concerns in India over the potential environmental impact of the dam. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu recently called it a ticking 'water bomb', an existential threat and a bigger issue than anything else apart from the military threat. Also read: Not immediately worried about China constructing dam on Brahmaputra: Assam CM Himanta In an interview with PTI on July 8, Mr. Khandu said the world's largest dam project on the Brahmaputra river is a matter of grave concern, as China is not a signatory to the international water treaty that could have forced it to abide by international norms. 'The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do,' said Mr. Khandu. The dam is expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet the annual needs of over 300 million people. Concerns arose in India as the dam besides empowering China to control the water flow, the size and scale of it could also enable Beijing to release large amounts of water that could flood border areas on the Indian side. Playing down the concerns of the lower riparian states, Mr. Guo said China has cooperated with them by sharing hydrological data, flood prevention and disaster alleviation. Also read: NSA Ajit Doval's China visit for SCO meet China had necessary communication with the two countries on the project, he said, adding that China would continue to enhance cooperation with downstream countries to benefit the people along the river. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the development of the project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is a matter of China's sovereignty. The project was aimed at building clean energy, improving local people's lives and in response to climate change, he added. In the planning, design and construction of the hydro power projects in the lower reaches, China strictly follows the highest industrial standards in protecting ecological environment in an all-round way, he said. Opinion | An India-China reset needs bold and new thinking He also claimed that the development of the project will help prevent disasters along the whole river and will not have a negative impact on the downstream regions. China has already operationalised the $1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, in 2015, which raised concerns in India. Critics point out that the dams in Brahmaputra present an enormous engineering challenges as the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently. The Tibetan plateau, regarded as the roof of the world, periodically experiences earthquakes as it is located over the tectonic plates. India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers under which China provides India with hydrological information on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers during the flood seasons. However, the sharing of hydrological data between the two countries hit a roadblock following the eastern Ladakh border row. Data sharing of trans-border rivers figured in the talks between India and China Special Representatives (SRs) for the border question, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held in Beijing on December 18 last year. Reports from Dhaka said the Chinese envoy to Bangladesh Yao Wen has assured that its dam is solely for electricity generation and will not affect water flow to downstream countries. Also read: Border dispute with India complicated, takes time; ready to discuss delimitation, says China Mr. Yao conveyed the message during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain during their meeting on July 21. 'China will not withdraw or use any water from the project and the project will not affect downstream countries,' he was quoted as saying in a media report.
News18
23-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Dam on upper reaches Brahmaputra will not impact India, Bangladesh: China
Beijing, Jul 23 (PTI) China on Wednesday defended the launch of the construction of a dam over the Brahmaputra river in the ecologically sensitive Tibet region and allayed concerns over its impact in the lower riparian countries such as India and Bangladesh. It is learnt that India is keeping a close eye on the construction of what is said to be the world's largest hydropower dam. Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday announced the start of the construction of the dam in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, locally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City located close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Arunachal Pradesh sector. The project 'will not have any negative impact on the downstream regions", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a media briefing, while responding to a question on concerns in India and Bangladesh over the dam. There have been mounting concerns in India over the potential environmental impact of the dam. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu recently called it a ticking 'water bomb", an existential threat and a bigger issue than anything else apart from the military threat. In an interview to PTI Videos on July 8, Khandu said the world's largest dam project on the Brahmaputra river is a matter of grave concern as China is not a signatory to the international water treaty that could have forced it to abide by international norms. 'The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do," said Khandu. The dam is expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet the annual needs of over 300 million people. Concerns arose in India as the dam besides empowering China to control the water flow, the size and scale of it could also enable Beijing to release large amounts of water that could flood border areas on the Indian side. Playing down the concerns of the lower riparian states, Guo said China has cooperated with them by sharing hydrological data, flood prevention and disaster alleviation. China had necessary communication with the two countries on the project, he said, adding that China would continue to enhance cooperation with downstream countries to benefit the people along the river. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the development of the project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is a matter of China's sovereignty. The project was aimed at building clean energy, improving local people's lives and in response to climate change, he added. In the planning, design and construction of the hydro power projects in the lower reaches, China strictly follows the highest industrial standards in protecting ecological environment in an all-round way, he said. He also claimed that the development of the project will help prevent disasters along the whole river and will not have a negative impact on the downstream regions. China has already operationalised the USD 1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, in 2015, which raised concerns in India. Critics point out that the dams in Brahmaputra present an enormous engineering challenges as the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently. The Tibetan plateau, regarded as the roof of the world, periodically experiences earthquakes as it is located over the tectonic plates. India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers under which China provides India with hydrological information on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers during the flood seasons. However, the sharing of hydrological data between the two countries hit a roadblock following the eastern Ladakh border row. Data sharing of trans-border rivers figured in the talks between India, China Special Representatives (SRs) for border question, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held here on December 18 last year. Reports from Dhaka said the Chinese envoy to Bangladesh Yao Wen has assured that its dam is solely for electricity generation and will not affect water flow to downstream countries. top videos View all Yao conveyed the message during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain during their meeting on July 21. 'China will not withdraw or use any water from the project and the project will not affect downstream countries," he was quoted as saying in a media report. PTI KJV RD MPB RD RD (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India.com
21-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Masterstroke by Modi govt as India fast-tracks construction of new road along LAC that will make China 'blind' to Indian troops due to...
New Delhi: Following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 amid a border standoff with China, India has fast-tracked the construction of the new road. Additionally, to boost border infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), an alternate route to the strategic Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector in Ladakh, will be ready next year which will be free of surveillance by Chinese soldiers. It will reduce travel time drastically The 130-km-long new route, via Sasoma-Saser La-Saser Brangsa-Gapshan-DBO, will be a secure and faster alternative to the existing Darbuk-Shyok-DBO (DSDBO) road, which is vulnerable to Chinese surveillance, reports India Today. It further says that the travel time will be down from 2 days to 12 hours as the new road, being built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), will reduce the distance from Leh to DBO by 79 km, reducing the commuting time drastically. How will it help Indian troops? This will not only allow India to mobilise troops without being exposed to Chinese observation, but will smoothen logistics movement in the critical border area. The world's highest airstrip at 16,614 feet is located at Daulat Beg Oldie. It holds immense strategic value due to its proximity to the Karakoram Pass and the contentious Depsang region. BRO upgrades bridges Defence sources said the BRO has upgraded nine bridges on the new route from 40-tonne to 70-tonne load capacity to facilitate the movement of heavier vehicles and artillery. Trials with Bofors and other systems have already been conducted successfully. The road originates from Sasoma in the Nubra Valley, close to the Siachen base camp. It will allow direct connectivity to DBO without needing to cross Leh. BRO's 'Project Vijayak' is undertaking the construction from Sasoma to Saser Brangsa, while 'Project Himank' is looking after the project to DBO. The total estimated budget is Rs 500 crore.
