Chinese government planned Galwan incident, says US top panel

The Chinese government had planned the June Galwan incident even as Beijing ramped up its multiyear coercion campaign against its neighbors provoking military or paramilitary standoffs with countries from Japan to India the United States top panel said in its report released on WednesdayMonths after the Galwan clashes that resulted in the brutal death of 20 Indian soldiers United StatesChina Economic and Security Review Commission USCC in its report 2020 Report To Congress of the USChina Economic and Security Review Commission said Some evidence suggested the Chinese government had planned the incident Galwan potentially including the possibility for fatalitiesThe report read In June 2020 the PLA and Indian troops engaged in a massive physical brawl in the Galwan Valley located in the farwestern Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control LAC separating the two countries The clash which followed a series of standoffs beginning in early May along multiple sectors of the LAC led to at least 20 Indian deaths and an unconfirmed number of Chinese casualties the first time since 1975 that lives were lost in fighting between the two sidesBeijing ramped up its multiyear coercion campaign against its neighbors provoking military or paramilitary standoffs with countries from Japan to India and much of Southeast AsiaShortly after Chinas defense minister urged Beijing to use military force to stabilize its periphery a violent clash on the ChinaIndia border in June led to the first loss of life between the two countries since 1975 it saidQuoting Tanvi Madan a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution the report said According to Dr Madan if Chinas goal from its actions was to acquire territory the Chinese government might deem the moves a success If Beijing intended to dissuade India from building infrastructure on its side of the LAC or warn it against aligning with the United States however then the Chinese moves have been ineffective if not counterproductiveSome evidence suggested the Chinese government had planned the incident potentially including the possibility for fatalities For instance several weeks prior to the clash Defense Minister Wei made his statement encouraging Beijing to use fighting to promote stability the report saidCiting another incident before the Galwan clashes it said Just over two weeks before the incident in another potential indication of Chinese leaders signaling their intent to escalate tensions an editorial in Chinas stateowned tabloid Global Times warned that India would suffer a devastating blow to its trade and economic ties with China if it got involved in the USChina rivalry Satellite images depicted a large Chinese buildup in the Galwan Valley including potentially 1000 PLA soldiers the week before the deadly skirmishThe US top panel said that though both the countries have had multiple physical clashes along their border but since General Secretary Xi assumed power in 2012 the two countries have seen five major altercations along their border The exact motivations behind the Chinese governments provocative behavior on the LAC this year remain unclearThe Chinese and Indian troops are engaged in a standoff since early May along LAC in eastern Ladakh The situation along the LAC deteriorated in June following the Galwan Valley clash in which both sides suffered casualtiesTwenty Indian soldiers lost their lives in the violent faceoff on June 1516 It happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the deescalation in eastern LadakhKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever