Top China Army body says Ladakh intrusion was accidental

When it comes to Chinas national defence strategy,there is one point that will never change and that is that we pursue a policy that is defensive in nature, Maj Gen Chen Zhou of the AMS,the key author of Chinas white paper on defence,told a group of visiting Indian journalists.

The April incident sparked tension between the neighbours after Chinese troops set up a temporary camp in the disputed Depsang valley,prompting a similar response by Indian troops.

Senior analysts and researchers at AMS sought to drive home the point that the incident was accidental in nature and that it should not be described as a stand off. Beijing had said in the past that its troops had not crossed the border and were camping on the Chinese side of the disputed boundary line.

Because we do not have a finalized order of the boundary lines between China and India,these kinds of incidents are unavoidable and take place but I disagree with the use of the word stand off…The confrontation on the border can be described as not deliberately staged, Col Ma Jun,a senior AMS researcher,said.

The resolution of the matter in less than a month proved that mechanisms to resolve such matters between the two nations work,he added. Both sides are committed to solving the (boundary) issue through peaceful negotiations and maintaining the general picture of the state between China and India, he said.

Seeking to downplay the Depsang incident that snowballed into a controversy as it came weeks ahead of the new Chinese Premiers first visit to India,top researchers and scholars of the PLA insisted that the incident was blown out of proportion and there was never any danger of a conflict over the situation.

According to me,a camp or a tent is not for a war. It is something to keep warm in. In preparation of war,China would dig trenches,not make camps or tents, Senior Captain Cao Weidong,who heads the PLAs Naval Research Institute,said.

Maj Gen Chen Zhou,who heads the national policy centre of the AMS,emphasised that such accidental incidents that take place cannot be depicted as acts of war or aggression. Emergent incidents,if not addressed in a proper way can increase to a crisis,conflict or even war but these incidents themselves cannot be depicted as war. Since the end of the Cold War,China and India have made efforts to prevent such accidental incidents with a lot of measure of confidence building, he said.

Top military planners also insisted that China does not see Indias modernization and expansion of its armed forces in recent years as a cause for worry as it was commensurate with the global trend and matches Indias position in the global setup.

China has never viewed Indias modernization drive as a threat. There is plenty of room for China and India to enhance cooperation in the field of security and there are more contributions that both sides can make in maintaining peace and security in the region and the world at large, Senior Col Wen Bing of the AMS said.

India and China are negotiating a border cooperation agreement that aims at resolving border incidents,increasing meeting points and cutting down on aggressive patrolling. The two armies are also set to hold a joint exercise after a gap of four years.

The break in military relations came after Beijing denied a visa to a visiting Indian lieutenant general on the pretext that he served in Jammu and Kashmir,which China views as disputed territory. The Depsang incident also threatened to further hurt military ties but a quick resolution and continued dialogue since April has ensured that planned visits and military exercises will continue in the coming months.

The reporter is in China on the invitation of the All-China Journalists Association