China Ladakh aggression has brought India closer to US: Expert

Writer  Brahma Chellaney wrote in an opinion piece in Asia Nikkei: "In terms of territory gained, China's Ladakh aggression may have been a success. But politically, it has proved self-damaging, driving India closer to Washington and making a major Indian military buildup inevitable. Relations between Beijing and New Delhi are at a nadir."

The writer mentioned India's struggle against the Chinese force last year at a time when the nation had imposed a strict lockdown to fight COVID-19 first wave.

"When India, currently fighting a devastating second COVID wave, was similarly distracted a year ago with enforcing the world's strictest coronavirus lockdown, China took advantage to stealthily infiltrate key border areas in India's high-altitude Ladakh region," the writer wrote.

"As thawing ice reopened access routes after the brutal Himalayan winter, a shocked India discovered that the People's Liberation Army had occupied hundreds of sq. kilometers of the borderlands, fortified by heavily armed bases. The discovery triggered the first deadly clashes in the region since 1975,"  Brahma Chellaney wrote.

"The intruding PLA forces remain well dug in, with Beijing in no mood to roll back its encroachments or accept further buffer zones of the kind established in two other confrontation areas to avert further armed clashes," wrote the writer.

The writer warned that China may make another move at present when India is busy battling the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which is believed to have spread across the globe from Wuhan region.

"Now, with India battling a sudden COVID explosion, there are fears China will spring further military surprises. This thought recently prompted India's army chief to visit the front lines in Ladakh to review operational preparedness," the opinion piece mentioned.