India maintains a commanding position in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state's Yangtse plateau in the Tawang sector, close to the location where December 9 skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops took place, an analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI),&nbsp;a defence and strategic policy think tank based in Canberra, said on Tuesday citing its visual project's satellite imagery.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-china-clash-faceoff-between-indian-and-chinese-troops-in-arunachals-tawang-542815">India-China Clash: Faceoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal's Tawang</a>

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The advancement&nbsp;of about 300 Chinese troops was thwarted by the Indian side on December 9 in the Tawang sector, following which a semblance of "stability" came into being&nbsp;due to efforts from both sides.&nbsp;

China's accessibility to Yangtse plateau has improved: ASPI analysis

The analysis by the Canberra-based think tank stated that China's rapid development of infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) means that the Chinese "can now access key locations on the Yangtse Plateau more easily than it could have just one year ago".&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/as-lac-skirmishes-increase-india-to-build-a-1700-km-highway-in-arunachal-pradesh-544428">As LAC skirmishes increase, India to build a 1,700-km highway in Arunachal Pradesh</a>

In the Yangtse plateau, India maintains a commanding position on the plateau's high ground. "China has compensated for this disadvantage by building new military and transport infrastructure that allows it to get troops quickly into the area," the ASPI report said.&nbsp;

India-China LAC standoff: Increased risk of escalation, conflict

The ASPI report, while referring to India's Line of Actual Control with China, said that it continues to become "more crowded", as infrastructure is built and large numbers of Indian and Chinese outposts compete for strategic, operational and tactical advantage.

"This increases the risk of escalation and potential military conflict stemming from incidental or deliberate encounters between Indian and Chinese troops," it said.&nbsp;

Tawang's significance

Between October 1950 and May 1951, China occupied the Buddhist state of Tibet by military means, forcing the state's spiritual figurehead Dalai Lama to seek refuge in India.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-is-my-permanent-residence-says-dalai-lama-reveals-no-point-to-return-to-china-544698">India is my 'permanent residence, no point to return to China', says Dalai Lama</a>

Years later, China made no secret of its desire to seek control of the Tawang sector, due to its historic monasteries that hold remarkable significance for the Tibetan people.&nbsp;

The December 9 skirmish is only the latest among decades of many localised India-China clashes that have been reported from Arunachal Pradesh. The confrontation was the most serious one between Indian and Chinese troops since Galwan in 2020.

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India maintains a commanding position in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state's Yangtse plateau in the Tawang sector, close to the location where December 9 skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops took place, an analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a defence and strategic policy think tank based in Canberra, said on Tuesday citing its visual project's satellite imagery.

India maintains a commanding position in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state's Yangtse plateau in the Tawang sector, close to the location where December 9 skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops took place, an analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a defence and strategic policy think tank based in Canberra, said on Tuesday citing its visual project's satellite imagery. WATCH | India-China Clash: Faceoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal's Tawang × The advancement of about 300 Chinese troops was thwarted by the Indian side on December 9 in the Tawang sector, following which a semblance of "stability" came into being due to efforts from both sides. China's accessibility to Yangtse plateau has improved: ASPI analysis The analysis by the Canberra-based think tank stated that China's rapid development of infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) means that the Chinese "can now access key locations on the Yangtse Plateau more easily than it could have just one year ago". ALSO READ | As LAC skirmishes increase, India to build a 1,700-km highway in Arunachal Pradesh In the Yangtse plateau, India maintains a commanding position on the plateau's high ground. "China has compensated for this disadvantage by building new military and transport infrastructure that allows it to get troops quickly into the area," the ASPI report said. India-China LAC standoff: Increased risk of escalation, conflict The ASPI report, while referring to India's Line of Actual Control with China, said that it continues to become "more crowded", as infrastructure is built and large numbers of Indian and Chinese outposts compete for strategic, operational and tactical advantage. "This increases the risk of escalation and potential military conflict stemming from incidental or deliberate encounters between Indian and Chinese troops," it said. Tawang's significance Between October 1950 and May 1951, China occupied the Buddhist state of Tibet by military means, forcing the state's spiritual figurehead Dalai Lama to seek refuge in India. ALSO READ | India is my 'permanent residence, no point to return to China', says Dalai Lama Years later, China made no secret of its desire to seek control of the Tawang sector, due to its historic monasteries that hold remarkable significance for the Tibetan people. The December 9 skirmish is only the latest among decades of many localised India-China clashes that have been reported from Arunachal Pradesh. The confrontation was the most serious one between Indian and Chinese troops since Galwan in 2020. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tawang skirmish: China stepped up efforts for improved access near LAC, says Australian think tank

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday called India a "perfect place" and his "permanent residence", adding that he prefers the country over China.

Dalai lama, as per ANI, made the statement in response to a query regarding the recent border clash in Tawang between India and China.&nbsp;

Talking to reporters at the Kangra airport in India's Himachal Pradesh, the spiritual leader who has been living in Dharamshala in Himachal since 1959, said, "Now things... General speaking, things are improving, I think in Europe and Africa and also in Asia. Now China also now more flexible."

Watch the video here:

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He added that however, "there is no point to return to China. I prefer India, best place and Kangra, Pandit Nehru choice. This place is my permanent residence. It's very right. Thank you."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-lac-intrusion-attempt-set-to-rock-indian-parliament-542512">Tawang skirmish: Chinese army alleges Indian troops 'illegally' crossed LAC</a>

The recent clash between the forces of the two nations happened on December 9.&nbsp;

While the Chinese side alleged that Indian troops had &nbsp;"illegally crossed the Line (of Actual Control)", Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Minister while addressing the nation's lower house of the parliament said that China had attempted to "unilaterally change the status quo", to which Indian troops had responded with a befitting reply.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/explainer-why-china-wants-control-over-dalai-lama-353034" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/explainer-why-china-wants-control-over-dalai-lama-353034&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjwoMeq04f8AhU1huYKHUp6AlAQFnoECAQQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw2TgGaUGHMcrFF8XP7efA15" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/explainer-why-china-wants-control-over-dalai-lama-353034" target="_blank">Explainer: Why does China want control over&nbsp;Dalai Lama?</a>

Dalai Lama also gave an update on his health. "Medical checkup. Otherwise so basic sort of physical condition no problem. There is little pain (shows his left arm near shoulder) otherwise no problem," he said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday called India a "perfect place" and his "permanent residence", adding that he prefers the country over China. Dalai lama, as per ANI, made the statement in response to a query regarding the recent border clash in Tawang between India and China.

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday called India a "perfect place" and his "permanent residence", adding that he prefers the country over China. Dalai lama, as per ANI, made the statement in response to a query regarding the recent border clash in Tawang between India and China. Talking to reporters at the Kangra airport in India's Himachal Pradesh, the spiritual leader who has been living in Dharamshala in Himachal since 1959, said, "Now things... General speaking, things are improving, I think in Europe and Africa and also in Asia. Now China also now more flexible." Watch the video here: #WATCH | Kangra, Himachal Pradesh: Dalai Lama says, "...There is no point in returning to China. I prefer India. That's the place. Kangra - Pandit Nehru's choice, this place is my permanent residence..." pic.twitter.com/Wr6dGEPIIx — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2022 × He added that however, "there is no point to return to China. I prefer India, best place and Kangra, Pandit Nehru choice. This place is my permanent residence. It's very right. Thank you." Also read | Tawang skirmish: Chinese army alleges Indian troops 'illegally' crossed LAC The recent clash between the forces of the two nations happened on December 9. While the Chinese side alleged that Indian troops had "illegally crossed the Line (of Actual Control)", Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Minister while addressing the nation's lower house of the parliament said that China had attempted to "unilaterally change the status quo", to which Indian troops had responded with a befitting reply. Also read | Explainer: Why does China want control over Dalai Lama? Dalai Lama also gave an update on his health. "Medical checkup. Otherwise so basic sort of physical condition no problem. There is little pain (shows his left arm near shoulder) otherwise no problem," he said. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India is my 'permanent residence, no point to return to China', says Dalai Lama

China-watching, like astrology, is a complex business that requires about 48 hours in a day that does not obtain in reality. And I am no China expert. Yet, minor consolations trigger sensible thoughts that must be shared.

I have just finished reading two excellent articles on the latest incident at Tawang where Indian soldiers have laudably beaten back the People's Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts. Both by retired generals who have drawn opposing inferences from the same data with a fair sense of understanding of Beijing's power politics in a larger context. One suggests that without President Xi Jinping's approval, the incident in which hundreds of soldiers tried to seize a military post on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) would not have occurred because Xi needs to revive sentimental Chinese nationalism amid domestic protests linked to a sagging economy hurt by zero-Covid policies. The other dips into the fragile relationship between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the PLA in history and locates Xi's attempts as a newly minted civilian commander-in-chief of the army to influence it even as elements of coup and sycophancy alike lurk behind China's proverbial bamboo curtain.

Phew! There's enough material up there for two or three B-grade Hollywood flicks, but I am going to ask a simple Indian question: how are we going to play this and how should we play this? Some details should not matter to us, such as whether Xi officially asked his troops to do what they did -- because we may never get an answer. But the responsibility for that must squarely lie with Xi. Somebody in New Delhi ought to tell this to the mandarins who matter.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-lac-intrusion-attempt-set-to-rock-indian-parliament-542512">Tawang skirmish: Chinese army alleges Indian troops 'illegally' crossed LAC</a>

In the context of planned air force exercises between India and the United States in the Arunachal Pradesh region that is home to Tawang, I am inclined to believe that the LAC misadventure was a diplomatic signal from Beijing to Delhi. Global militarist thinking is more about the display of strength than a desire for peace as it is based on the 'strength respects strength' logic. We need to go by that principle, as Indian soldiers have indeed done both in Tawang and two years ago in the Galwan zone of Ladakh. However, having lost precious lives in Galwan, there is a need for India to go that extra mile.

There is geopolitical jostling involving the United States, Russia and China, with Taiwan, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan very much in the picture. From the point of view of the US State Department, India should be added to the list -- and this is precisely what India has to resist. Foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has been very articulate about India's desire and moral case for sovereignty and its wish for an independent foreign policy. This is clearly shown in the way India has balanced its purchase of Russian oil after the Ukraine war broke out even as it offered to be a friendly, neutral party to end the war.

In such a context, references by the Pentagon calling India a "partner" or "ally" on the China issue as it seems to have done undermines India's credibility. Washington needs a "Thanks, but no thanks" message from New Delhi. Lots of diplomatic work ahead for Dr. Jaishankar there, with things to be finessed.

India needs to deftly get out of the Patronised Ally Syndrome to an Equally Sovereign Orbit. What India needs is peace without the fuss, sovereignty without the loneliness of diplomatic isolation, and strength without a military cost that would reduce its focus on economic and social issues at home.

This is where India has to go that extra mile by bringing in trade issues to the forefront. China needs to be told that there is a price to be paid in trade if there is adventurism on the LAC.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/china-india-tawang-faceoff-not-a-surprise-what-is-different-now-543180">China-India Tawang faceoff not a surprise: What is different now?</a>

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has been pointing out how India imports too much of 'substandard' goods from China and how the Modi government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme is aimed at reducing the trade deficit by boosting domestic manufacture of goods currently imported from China, the most ubiquitous of which is the smartphone.

One report notes that India's imports from China have nearly doubled since the 2020 clash in Galwan. India's trade deficit with China was about $1 billion in the 2003/4 fiscal year and surged to $44 billion in 2020/21 and then zoomed past $73 billion in 2021/22.

The writing is on the Indian side of the Great Wall of China: New Delhi reserves the right to impose sanctions linked to border violations -- or ought to think on those lines. Soldiers on the border have shown that strength respects strength. The government has to show that this maxim also extends to trade in an interconnected world. Some clues lie in that 'substandard' word used by the commerce minister.

Like many China experts, we can bring in all sorts of geopolitical, historical, and military details into this, but President Xi must get to see an India that is sovereign and peace-loving, and yet not the vulnerable nation that got a nasty surprise in 1962 when the brotherly Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai slogan soured close to where there has been military action of late. Memories can be painful, but much water has flowed down the Brahmaputra since then.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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China-watching, like astrology, is a complex business that requires about 48 hours in a day that does not obtain in reality. And I am no China expert. Yet, minor consolations trigger sensible thoughts that must be shared.

China-watching, like astrology, is a complex business that requires about 48 hours in a day that does not obtain in reality. And I am no China expert. Yet, minor consolations trigger sensible thoughts that must be shared. I have just finished reading two excellent articles on the latest incident at Tawang where Indian soldiers have laudably beaten back the People's Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts. Both by retired generals who have drawn opposing inferences from the same data with a fair sense of understanding of Beijing's power politics in a larger context. One suggests that without President Xi Jinping's approval, the incident in which hundreds of soldiers tried to seize a military post on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) would not have occurred because Xi needs to revive sentimental Chinese nationalism amid domestic protests linked to a sagging economy hurt by zero-Covid policies. The other dips into the fragile relationship between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the PLA in history and locates Xi's attempts as a newly minted civilian commander-in-chief of the army to influence it even as elements of coup and sycophancy alike lurk behind China's proverbial bamboo curtain. Phew! There's enough material up there for two or three B-grade Hollywood flicks, but I am going to ask a simple Indian question: how are we going to play this and how should we play this? Some details should not matter to us, such as whether Xi officially asked his troops to do what they did -- because we may never get an answer. But the responsibility for that must squarely lie with Xi. Somebody in New Delhi ought to tell this to the mandarins who matter. Also Read | Tawang skirmish: Chinese army alleges Indian troops 'illegally' crossed LAC In the context of planned air force exercises between India and the United States in the Arunachal Pradesh region that is home to Tawang, I am inclined to believe that the LAC misadventure was a diplomatic signal from Beijing to Delhi. Global militarist thinking is more about the display of strength than a desire for peace as it is based on the 'strength respects strength' logic. We need to go by that principle, as Indian soldiers have indeed done both in Tawang and two years ago in the Galwan zone of Ladakh. However, having lost precious lives in Galwan, there is a need for India to go that extra mile. There is geopolitical jostling involving the United States, Russia and China, with Taiwan, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan very much in the picture. From the point of view of the US State Department, India should be added to the list -- and this is precisely what India has to resist. Foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has been very articulate about India's desire and moral case for sovereignty and its wish for an independent foreign policy. This is clearly shown in the way India has balanced its purchase of Russian oil after the Ukraine war broke out even as it offered to be a friendly, neutral party to end the war. In such a context, references by the Pentagon calling India a "partner" or "ally" on the China issue as it seems to have done undermines India's credibility. Washington needs a "Thanks, but no thanks" message from New Delhi. Lots of diplomatic work ahead for Dr. Jaishankar there, with things to be finessed. India needs to deftly get out of the Patronised Ally Syndrome to an Equally Sovereign Orbit. What India needs is peace without the fuss, sovereignty without the loneliness of diplomatic isolation, and strength without a military cost that would reduce its focus on economic and social issues at home. This is where India has to go that extra mile by bringing in trade issues to the forefront. China needs to be told that there is a price to be paid in trade if there is adventurism on the LAC. Also Read | China-India Tawang faceoff not a surprise: What is different now? Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has been pointing out how India imports too much of 'substandard' goods from China and how the Modi government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme is aimed at reducing the trade deficit by boosting domestic manufacture of goods currently imported from China, the most ubiquitous of which is the smartphone. One report notes that India's imports from China have nearly doubled since the 2020 clash in Galwan. India's trade deficit with China was about $1 billion in the 2003/4 fiscal year and surged to $44 billion in 2020/21 and then zoomed past $73 billion in 2021/22. The writing is on the Indian side of the Great Wall of China: New Delhi reserves the right to impose sanctions linked to border violations -- or ought to think on those lines. Soldiers on the border have shown that strength respects strength. The government has to show that this maxim also extends to trade in an interconnected world. Some clues lie in that 'substandard' word used by the commerce minister. Like many China experts, we can bring in all sorts of geopolitical, historical, and military details into this, but President Xi must get to see an India that is sovereign and peace-loving, and yet not the vulnerable nation that got a nasty surprise in 1962 when the brotherly Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai slogan soured close to where there has been military action of late. Memories can be painful, but much water has flowed down the Brahmaputra since then. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Why India must use its trade lever to match military muscle after China's border bluster

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Tawang skirmish: China stepped up efforts for improved access near LAC, says Australian think tank

India is my 'permanent residence, no point to return to China', says Dalai Lama

Why India must use its trade lever to match military muscle after China's border bluster