The Chinese headache will continue to dominate the military and diplomatic scene for India in 2022 if the ongoing provocations by the Chinese are any indicator.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday came down heavily upon Chinese attempts at creating trouble along the border—from the renaming of villages in Arunachal Pradesh to reports of a bridge being built on the other side of Pangong Lake in Ladakh. These provocations, when put together, clearly indicate that China plans to continue creating disruptions along the border, which will not lead to a situation conducive to resuming ties as they existed before Doklam (2016) or even before Galwan (2020).
At the first press meet of this year, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the government has been monitoring the Chinese activity of building a bridge on the other side of Pangong lake, an area that is under illegal occupation by China, over the last 60 years. "As you are well aware, India has never accepted such illegal occupation," he said. Bagchi added that the government has been taking all necessary measures to ensure that India's security interests are fully protected.
As part of these efforts, the government has also, in the last seven years, increased significantly the budget for the development of border infrastructure and completed more roads and bridges than ever before. These have provided much-needed connectivity to the local population as well as logistical support to armed forces.
"[The] government remains committed to this objective," he said.
Indeed, this was the first winter when the Zojila Pass, which connects Kashmir with Ladakh, has remained open in January. Usually, the pass closes in winter, cutting off Ladakh from the rest of the country. The only connection is by the air route in winter.
In response to queries on China renaming villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Bagchi said that India had conveyed "our views" to China on "such a ridiculous exercise to support untenable territorial claims".
"Calling Tuting as DouDeng or River Siyom as XiYueMu or even Kibithu as Daba does not alter the fact that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always remain an inalienable part of India," Bagchi said, adding that it was hoped that instead of engaging in such antics, China would work constructively with India to resolve outstanding friction points in areas along the western sector of the Line of Actual Control in India-China border areas.
A few days ago, the Chinese embassy had written letters to Indian lawmakers who had attended a dinner event in Delhi hosted by the Tibetan government in exile, expressing concern over their presence at the event, and asking them to stop providing support to Tibetan forces. The lawmakers attended the event in their capacity as members of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet. "The substance, tone and tenor of the letter are inappropriate. The Chinese side should note that India is a vibrant democracy and honourable MPs, as representatives of the people, undertake activities as per their views and beliefs. We expect the Chinese side to refrain from hyping normal activities by Honourable MPs, and complicate further the situation in our bilateral relations,'' the spokesperson said.
This statement, however, made it clear that the MPs were not at the event to represent the government of India, but in their capacity as members of the forum. Tibet is a thorn in China's side, and India has been careful in not playing up the Tibet card in recent years.
