A report by US Intelligence Agencies warns of an armed conflict between Bharat and China amid large troop deployments by both sides and encounters between their militaries and the border dispute will remain a strain on ties between the neighbours.
‘China is looking to make overseas military bases at various locations – including Sri Lanka and Pakistan – in its attempt to project power and protect China’s interests abroad’, states the assessment.
‘The shared disputed border between Bharat and China will remain a strain on their bilateral relationship. Since 2020, the two sides have not engaged in cross-border clashes, they are maintaining large troop deployments, and encounters between opposing forces risk escalation into armed conflict’, states the annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community, released by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on Monday.
The report signifies a global order, China’s military expansion plans, its cyber operations and possible attempts to influence the 2024 US presidential elections.
It also talks about other conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war. Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the strategic Sela tunnel, built at an altitude of 13,000 fLATEeet in Arunachal Pradesh, that will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang.
Infrastructure projects near the Indo-China border have gathered pace since a military standoff with China in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) started in May 2020.
Both sides have arranged close to 50,000 troops each in the Ladakh sector and Bharat has made it clear that bilateral relations cannot be normalised till there is peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
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