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Transcript/ScriptPLAYBOOK SLUG: India China Border
HEADLINE: India China Military Standoff Enters Fourth Year Without Sign of Thaw
TEASER: High-level political and military dialogues have failed to achieve a breakthrough as both countries have adopted diametrically different positions in their approach to resolving the conflict
PUBLISHED AT: Tuesday, 05/16/2023 at 06:01 EDT
BYLINE: Anjana Pasricha
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New Delhi
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER: Rod James
SCRIPT EDITORS: pcd
VIDEO SOURCES: AFP, Reuters, Skype
PLATFORMS: WEB __TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 3:05
VID APPROVED BY: pcd
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: There is an accompanying WEB))
((INTRO))
[[A military standoff between India and China, which have deployed tens of thousands of troops along their Himalayan borders, has entered its fourth year. But despite talks between their respective military commanders and senior ministers, there is no sign of a resolution. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi.]]
((Video: Various shots of tunnel being made in Arunachal, Aerial shot of town in Arunachal, shot of helicopter in Ladakh, Arunachal mountains))
((NARRATOR))
This tunnel being cut through the high Himalayan mountains by India is intended to facilitate troop movement in its northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh that is also claimed by China.
Three years after a bloody clash between Indian and Chinese troops thousands of kilometers away along their disputed border in Ladakh, tensions are simmering in this region.
((Video: Indian soldiers at a training practice, shot of Zemithang, a frontier village in Arunachal))
In December, troops from both sides engaged in scuffles along the Arunachal Pradesh border. Last month China renamed 11 places in Chinese in the disputed state which it refers to as South Tibet.
((Video: shot Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, walking in, talking of renaming places))
While India rejected the move, China said it was completely within the scope its sovereignty.
((Video: Tawang war memorial, monk spins prayer wheels at main Tawang monastery))
In India there are fears that this largely Buddhist region has become a new flashpoint between the nuclear armed neighbors.
[[For Radio: Harsh Pant is Vice President of Studies and Foreign Policy at the Observer Research Foundation. He spoke to VOA via Skype]]
((Harsh Pant, Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation via Skype))
“Now with China taking a much more aggressive stance on Arunachal, there are concerns that perhaps China wants to look at it (border) in totality and therefore build multiple pressure points on India.”
((Video: Vehicles moving along the Sela Pass in Arunachal, tunnel under construction, infantry gun in Arunachal, prayer wheels in Arunachal))
((NARRATOR))
Besides building roads and tunnels in the region, India has also launched a $570 million program to develop border villages. The projects have started as China ramps up military and civilian infrastructure along its border. That includes construction of villages.
((Video: set up shot of Bendigeri, shot of vehicle in Arunachal))
Indian army Brigadier N.M. Bendigeri, who commands troops in the region, spoke to news agency AFP last month.
((Brig. N.M. Bendigeri, Troop Commander))
“As regards to these -- what they (China) call "Xiaokang" villages or model villages that the Chinese are saying, there are a couple of them which are right opposite our borders. It concerns us because of its closeness to the border areas and the way it has been constructed, we cannot rule out them being used by the PLA (People's Liberation Army).
((Video: Indian army soldiers practicing))
((NARRATOR))
Talks have brought no real breakthrough.
((Video: Shots of Indian Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, flags at regional meeting, shots of Singh and Li Shangfu))
The Indian and Chinese defense and foreign ministers failed to find common ground when they met on the sidelines of a regional forum last month. While India said ties cannot improve until the border row is resolved, China said the border is “generally stable” and both sides should normalize ties.
[[For Radio: Pant says the standoff looks set to continue.]]
((Harsh Pant, Vice president, Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation via Skype))
“With China unilaterally deciding to change the status quo along the border and then claiming that is the new normal, I don’t think India will accept this and therefore while negotiations both at the military and diplomatic levels continue, the broader relationship continues to be in a lockjam, with India putting the onus on China to take it forward.”
((Video: Bunker in Arunachal Pradesh, Shots of tanks, Modi and Biden sitting in Tokyo in 2022, shots of mountains and Indian soldiers))
The continuing volatility in the Himalayas is drawing India closer to the United States. Next month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington for a visit that aims to strengthen strategic ties.
((Anjana Pasricha for VOA News, New Delhi))
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)New Delhi
Embargo DateMay 16, 2023 07:00 EDT
BylineAnjana Pasricha
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
