China's plan to threaten India's territory backfired: GD Bakshi on Beijing's Galwan plot

The USCC (United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission) in its report to US Congress has stated that the Chinese government had planned the June 15 Galwan Valley clash with India, potentially including the possibility for fatalities.

Reacting to the report that exposed the lies of China, Major General (Retired) GD Bakshi said, in a very sinister way, the new Joint Theatre Commander of the PLA, who looks after Tibet and Xijiang, on the verdict of President Xi Jinping, deliberately staged the clash in Eastern Ladakh “to give a kind of birthday gift to his boss.” However, the plan backfired as the Indian soldiers strongly retaliated, killing at least 60 soldiers of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army), he said.

“They were trying to grab the vital piece of real estate that can threaten our newly constructed Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) road in Ladakh. There is no way we can accept that kind of threat to our highway access bridge that was constructed at a great cost. China is trying to slowly grab parcels of our territory, hoping that it will be able to present a fear among us. But India retaliated strongly. We have matched the Chinese deployment soldier for soldier, tank for tank and gun for gun. In fact, we now have superiority in that area,” Maj Gen GD Bakshi told Republic TV.

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"China has bitten off more than it can chew"

 The (retired) Major General also said the PLA is not as equipped as the Indian Army, to brave the harsh winters of the Siachen glacier. He said China will have to retreat as it is not combat-tested and will receive a huge blow from the Indian side if the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) worsens.  

“China will have to go back; they have no other option. Chinese are having a miserable time in the cold. They are not equipped for it. The Indian army has 30 years of experience of the Siachen glacier. We can survive the whole year round at 21,000 feet, this is nothing. We are the most experienced military in mountain warfare and China has certainly bitten off more than it can chew.

It is now trying to compel Pakistan to restart terrorism in a big way. This is because China has realised that it cannot take on India in a pragmatic action. It will get the worst of the bargain. It hasn’t fought for 42 years. It is not combat-tested, the Indian forces are. When push comes to shove, they will give a very good account for themselves,” Bakshi said.

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China Galwan conspiracy

Dr Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute who delivered an oral testimony for the USCC commission, said, if China’s goal from its actions was “to acquire territory...  it might deem the moves a success.” however, if Beijing intended to dissuade India from building infrastructure on its side of the LAC or warn it against aligning with the US, “then the Chinese moves have been ineffective, if not counterproductive.”

“Some evidence suggested the Chinese government had planned the incident, potentially including the possibility for fatalities”, the panel said in its report to US Congress. 

It also marks mention that actions by the Chinese side were hinting towards these deadly clashes, weeks before the violent clashes happened at Galwan. “For instance, several weeks prior to the clash Defense Minister Wei made his statement encouraging Beijing to “use fighting to promote stability.”

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