Over 2 years after the deadly Galwan clash, Indian and Chinese troops clashed on 9th December in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector. The faceoff resulted in the minor injuries on both sides. The clash took place along Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Yangtse. The incident came days after China expressed objection to Operation Yudhabhyas, the India-US joint military exercise at Auli in the Uttarakhand hills, claiming it was a violation of 1993 and 1996 border agreements.
The clash came in the midst of ongoing border tensions between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the sensitive Ladakh sector.
Where is Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang? Why is it strategically important? Why China has its eyes at Tawang?
Tawang is a town in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The town was once the capital of the Tawang Tract, which is now divided into the Tawang district and the West Kameng district. Tawang continues as the headquarters of the former. It is situated at the height of 17,000 feet. Tawang is strategically important for India. In 1962 war, China captured vast swathes of area but later vacated it as it falls under the McMohan line. Since then, China has had its eyes on Indian territory at Tawang.
China wants to capture Tawang post so that it can keep an eye on LAC and Tibet. The communist country tries to dominate the region.
It is the first major clash between the Indian and Chinese armies since the month of August 2020 near Rinchen La in eastern Ladakh.