Start of the Present!

 Written by: Janvi Zade

Edited by: Yashi Shah

INDIA – CHINA STANDOFF

On the deadly night of June 15, in the depths of the Galwan Valley occurred one of the most horrendous events. While on the evening of Monday, June 15, the 16 Bihar regiment was waiting for the Chinese to uphold the agreement and return to Post 1, about 5km to the east; the Chinese instead attacked our patrol team. The Chinese troops attacked our Indian soldiers with boulders, stones wrapped in barbed wires, and nailed wooden logs. 

The clash continued for hours and despite being less in number, Indian troops managed to injure 55 – 56 Chinese soldiers. According to ANI, China lost 43 soldiers. And during the conflict, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred as well. But these events didn’t happen out of the blue. Circumstances began to get tensed from May 5 – 6, when the first combat between soldiers from both sides involving approximately 250 men occurred, and damages were sustained on both sides of the border.  

Addressing the Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 16th September, said that China has an unauthorized occupation of approximately 38,000 square km of land in Ladakh. Furthermore, he added that the India-China border issue remains unresolved as no mutually acceptable solution has been approved.  

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur told the Lok Sabha that FDI inflow from China has decreased from $350.22 million to $163.77 million in 2019-20. Amidst the continuous tension, Chinese troops set up loudspeakers playing Punjabi songs for Indian soldiers at Finger 4 area, on the north bank of Pangong Tso Lake. However, it isn’t assured whether this action was taken to distract our soldiers or to ease some tension on borders. 

India after banning approximately 59 Chinese apps has in a way started a digital strike. The US is working on bringing a ban on TikTok and WeChat. People are strongly supporting the ban on Chinese apps and goods, and it’s the current need for all of us to use and promote Made in India products. It’s high time our country needs to remodel itself from within, and we must be an integral part of this process.