The Times of India reports on a curious border incursion from mid-September, in which a group of about forty Chinese troops crossed the border (or “Line of Actual Control”), built shelters on Indian soil, and resisted orders from Indian forces to depart, claiming the territory belonged to them.
The territory in question was a remote part of the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh state, located some 45 kilometers on India’s side of the border. According to the Times of India, this area has “witnessed frequent incursion bids by Chinese troops” two or three times per year, but this is the first time they have entered this particular district, which they could only reach by marching through a region of dense forest.
A joint patrol of the Indian army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) noted the Chinese presence on September 9, but found the interlopers “reluctant to leave,” claiming the territory belonged to China. The Chinese soldiers did not fully withdraw until September 14.
China and India held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss increased cooperation on counterterrorism, “amid rising concerns on Pakistan-sourced terror in the wake of the Uri attack,” according to India Today. It was the first meeting of the India-China High-Level Dialogue on counterterrorism and security.
The Uri attack was a September 18 incident in which an Indian military base was hit by militants from the Kashmir Valley, killing 18 soldiers.
“Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such,” said India’s Home Affairs Minister, Rajnath Singh, after the attack.
Singh added that he was “deeply disappointed with Pakistan’s continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups.”