In pics: Two years after the Galwan clashes, talks and military buildup are still underway

On June 15, 2020, the two armies clashed in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. A year later, China admitted that the clash killed five soldiers and military officers.

According to an article in the Australian daily 'The Klaxon,' at least 38 Chinese soldiers drowned while crossing a fast-flowing, sub-zero river in the dark, according to a report prepared by a group of social media researchers following a year-long investigation.

According to reports, the clash was one of the worst in 45 years. Tensions began to rise in the weeks leading up to the clash when both militaries scrambled to send additional troops to the border.

Since the standoff began in May 2020, the Indian and Chinese officials have held 15 rounds of talks, with disengagement on both sides of the Pangong Tso (lake) in February 2021, and from Patrolling Point 17 in the Gogra area in August, as well as Galwan in 2020 following the devastating clash. Between the two parties, there have also been political and diplomatic discussions. 

Both the Indian and Chinese armies withdrew frontline soldiers from the Gogra-Hot Springs zone in August 2021. Despite the withdrawal of troops from Pangong Tso, the Gogra-Hot Springs area, and the Galwan Valley, the Ladakh region still has roughly 60,000 troops on both sides.

In the last two years, both India and China have escalated military activities on their respective territories, including infrastructure building, weapon deployment, and army combat manoeuvres.

The unprovoked Galwan clash on June 15, 2020, despite a June 6 agreement, the impression management mixed with media advertising, and the inclusion of a Galwan injured soldier in the Beijing Olympics are all strong evidence that China wants to keep LAC active not just temporarily but indefinitely.

The Galwan skirmish and its aftermath are a clear indicator of China's plan to keep India involved along the LAC, checkmate its contribution to QUAD, and prevent India from reclaiming its rightful role in the comity of countries in a post-Russia-Ukraine world order.