China: ‘Another audience watching’ drills says expert
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The news comes following tension between Washington and Beijing over the visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. China, in response to the visit, has conducted numerous live-fire military exercises in the Straits of Taiwan, as well as cancelling or suspending a series of agreements with the US in the process.
Yet tension could be further sparked due to the plans to hold joint Indo-American drills near the border with China.
Taking to Twitter to confirm the news of the drills, and raise concerns of a potential conflict, Russia-Europe-China expert Danil Bochkov said: “US and India have decided to conduct high-altitude combat training in a region of India bordering China.
“Joint exercise Yudh Abhyas or ‘War Practice,’ will be held in the South Asian nation’s Uttarakhand state from October 18 to 31, the US Army Pacific Command confirmed.”
The drills are expected to take place at an altitude of 10,000 feet and will focus on combat training.
However, the exercise is not a new occurrence and takes place annually between Delhi and Washington.
US Army Pacific’s Major Jonathan Lewis, who handles public affairs, told media outlets the strategy for this year’s exercise focuses on cold-weather operations, and at high-altitude, an environment that poses distinct challenges.
In a similar move earlier in the year, the US and NATO allies took part in Operation Cold Response in the Arctic, again designed to practice in challenging environmental conditions.
Tension is however high on this occasion due to the proximity of the Chinese border.
Auli is about 95km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the disputed border between India and China.
India previously hosted the exercise in Uttarakhand, including in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
But those exercises were all conducted in the foothills, more than 300km from the boundary with China.
The dispute between Beijing and Delhi has tarnished the bilateral relations between the two powers and entered its third year in May 2022.
A full resolution is still not in sight even though the two sides have had limited success in disengaging rival soldiers from some flashpoints.
In spite of the ongoing tension between China and India, attempts to resolve the problem through diplomacy and joint military talks have only resulted in limited success.
Clashes and skirmishes between Chinese and Indian troops has resulted in deaths, with India seeing around 20 troops killed in action near the border.
Beijing has also lost soldiers in flare-ups over the last three years.
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During a visit to India this year, US Army’s Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn described China’s military build-up near the disputed border as “alarming.”
A US department of defence spokesperson said ties with India were “One of the most important elements of our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Speaking of the drills, the spokesperson continued: “One important element of this broader effort includes exercises and training events and Yudh Abhyas is one such annual bilateral exercise designed to improve interoperability and improve our respective capacities to address a range of regional security challenges.”
China has responded to the exercise in kind with its own live-fire drills on its western border with India.
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Chinese state media reported last week that a brigade of the PLA Tibetan Military District had held a live-fire air defence drill.
Reports showed drones, air defence guns and missiles being used in the mountainous terrain.
China National Radio also reported that the troops practised ways to defend against attacks from the air and provide cover and protection for key targets.
The report did not specify the location or exact date of the exercise, saying only that it was held “recently in a training ground at an altitude of 4,600 metres”.
On a wider scale, China has vowed to conduct regular patrols in the Taiwan Straits in an effort to prepare for “combat readiness” over the disputed island.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the spokesperson of the Eastern Theater Command, said in an announcement that the command had “successfully completed various missions during recent drills around Taiwan island and effectively tested the troops’ joint operation combat capabilities.”
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