Archive for ‘Chinese army’

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24/04/2020

India’s new bridge in Himalayas could potentially reignite China border dispute

  • The new bridge, which can bear 40 tons of weight, was built in Arunachal Pradesh in India’s remote northeast, a region claimed by China
  • Relations are already strained after China accused India of blocking its companies by tightening laws for foreign investment
An Indian girl poses for photographs with an Indian flag at the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: AP
An Indian girl poses for photographs with an Indian flag at the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: AP
India

has opened a new all-weather access point in a disputed part of its border with China to enable faster movement of troops and artillery, another potential irritant in

relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours

.

The new bridge, which can bear 40 tons of weight, was built in Arunachal Pradesh in India’s remote northeast, a region claimed by China that is near the scene of previous clashes. Border intrusions have risen 50 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year, people with knowledge of the matter said.

“That part of the border has always had a tendency to friction point between India and China. Lack of reliable and all weather connectivity was vulnerability,” said Nitin Gokhale, a New Delhi-based strategic affairs expert. “The new bridge and improved road overcomes that and ensures uninterrupted supply to troops.”

A Chinese soldier stands guard while Indian soldiers work near their shared border. Photo: AP
A Chinese soldier stands guard while Indian soldiers work near their shared border. Photo: AP
The new access along the border with China comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations after Beijing accused India of blocking its companies in the South Asian nation after New Delhi tightened laws for foreign investment. The bridge is located in a region that witnessed a months-long military stand-off in 2017 over the Doklam plateau, claimed by China and Bhutan, India’s ally. It was one of the most serious flare-ups since China won a border war with India in 1962.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a message requesting comment.

India claims the Chinese army violated the 3,488km-long undemarcated border, parts of which are disputed, more than 600 times, the people said, asking not to be identified as the matter is not public.

“India and China have different perceptions of the border,” Indian Army spokesman Aman Anand said on Thursday. “Perceived transgressions are result of the perceived boundary.”

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is ramping up its infrastructure along the border, which it says isn’t aimed at any particular country, but rather the development of remote border areas. It has completed 74 strategic roads along the eastern border, with plans afoot to finish 20 more by next year, the people said. It will reduce time taken to move and material by half and help 431 villages that lie across the region during the Covid-19 outbreak.
its law on foreign investment

by making it mandatory for companies from countries that share a land border to acquire local firms only after seeking an approval from the government. The move, which cuts the risk of opportunistic takeovers as the coronavirus outbreak drives down valuations of Indian companies, had so far applied only to FDI from Bangladesh and Pakistan. India shares its land border with seven countries, including China.

The new bridge opened by the India also strides one of the main access routes of the Chinese Army into India from Tibet.

Source: SCMP

Posted in Arunachal Pradesh, border, Bridge, China, Chinese army, dispute, Doklam platea, Himalayas, India’s, Indo-China, Infrastructure, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, new, New Delhi, potentially, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reignite, Tibet, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

28/08/2019

Chinese man prevented from visiting Indian family

Wang Qi
Image caption Wang Qi has been waiting for months to see his family in India

In 1963, a former Chinese army surveyor crossed into India and was captured weeks after a war between the two countries. Wang Qi was then left in a central Indian town for more than five decades before he was allowed to travel back home to China in 2017.

The BBC reported his story at the time and videos of the emotional family reunion in China were watched by millions.

But now, more than 30 months later, his story has taken an unexpected turn – Mr Wang is stuck in China and unable to return to India.

He has been waiting for more than four months for officials to renew his Indian visa so that he can travel back to India where his children and grandchildren live.

“Why are they doing this? I’ve been fighting for such a long time. How much longer can I fight?” Mr Wang told me over the phone from his home city of Xianyang.

The BBC has emailed the Indian embassy in Beijing and is yet to receive a response.

Born to a farmer family in Shaanxi with four brothers and two sisters, he studied surveying and joined China’s People’s Liberation Army in 1960.

Mr Wang says he was “tasked with building roads for the Chinese army” and was captured when he “strayed erroneously” into Indian territory in January 1963.

Wang Qi in Chinese army uniform
Image caption He joined China’s People’s Liberation Army in 1960

“I had gone out of my camp for a stroll but lost my way. I was tired and hungry. I saw a Red Cross vehicle and asked them to help me. They handed me over to the Indian army,” he said.

After he was captured, he spent the next seven years in multiple prisons before he was released by a court order in 1969.

Police took him to Tirodi, a far-flung village in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, where he ended up living for most of his life.

Instead he worked at a flour mill, eventually marrying a local woman and raising a family with her. Neighbours said they lived in “utter poverty”.

It was never clear whether Mr Wang was actually a prisoner of war. But he was denied official Indian documents or citizenship, and he was also denied permission to return to China. Officials told the BBC in 2017 that there were “deficiencies” and a “lack of interest” in the case over the years.

A Chinese passport holder, Mr Wang was reunited with his family in China in 2017. After the BBC reported his story, he received a one-year multiple entry Indian visa.

Media caption Wang Qi did not see his family in China for decades

He kept coming back to India to meet his wife, children and grandchildren who continued to live here.

When Mr Wang first arrived in China, he received a rapturous welcome. Crowds met him with banners reading, “Welcome home, soldier, it’s been a rough journey”.

But according to Mr Wang’s son, Vishnu, his father’s request to local officials to clear his salary for the period of his stay in India, remains unanswered.

Vishnu also adds that it’s unclear if his father still has any claim to ancestral property in China after being away for so many years.

“He was ecstatic to have met his family after decades. He didn’t want anything else.”

In 2017, Mr Wang rushed back to India to take care of his wife, who was hospitalised due to “liver complications”.

“Getting funds for the expensive treatment was very difficult. We tried everywhere, begged for money but didn’t receive any response,” Vishnu says.

She died within a fortnight.

Mr Wang with his family
Image caption Mr Wang married an Indian woman and raised a family with her

“My father’s visa was renewed in 2018. He applied again in April 2019 but he is still waiting,” Vishnu adds.

Xianyang and Beijing, where the Indian embassy is located, are more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) apart – and travelling between the two cities isn’t easy for Mr Wang, who is nearly 80 years old, Vishnu says.

“My father is fed up. He doesn’t understand why this is taking so long.”

Source: The BBC

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04/08/2019

China competitions for Int’l Army Games 2019 kicks off

CHINA-XINJIANG-KORLA-INT'L ARMY GAMES-OPEN (CN)

Rocket artilleries fire in a military presentation in Korla, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 3, 2019. The opening ceremony for the competitions hosted by China as part of the International Army Games 2019 was held on Saturday in Korla, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Chinese army will host four contests in areas such as infantry combat vehicles and weapon repair. Teams coming from 12 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America will take part. (Photo by Wang Junqiang/Xinhua)

URUMQI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — The opening ceremony for the competitions hosted by China as part of the International Army Games 2019 was held on Saturday in Korla, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The Chinese army will host four contests in areas such as infantry combat vehicles and weapon repair. Teams coming from 12 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America will take part.

During the period of the competitions, cultural exchanges and equipment exhibitions will be held.

The Chinese army has taken part in the games since 2014 and became a host in 2017.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in africa, Asia, China competitions, Chinese army, competitions, cultural exchanges, equipment exhibitions, Europe, Int'l Army Games, Korla, South America, Uncategorized, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region | Leave a Comment »

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