India Should Not Be Perceived As Backing Down On The Telephone Battle With The Chinese
By
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Veteran Special Forces
As per a news report, a new military hotline between India and China pending for a long time will soon become operational. The Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has explained that the proposal for the hotline has been accepted by both sides after all procedural issues were resolved.
“The proposal has been accepted and procedural aspects have been ironed out. I am glad to say that we have now resolved the issue. There would be a hotline now between our DGMO (read as Director General of Military Operations) and the Weestern Theatre Command (of China). That is very much now on the cards,” he added.
This if accepted means that India has finally blinked on the perception front after holding on for so long.
This hotline has been facing an ongoing tussle because of the differing views of both sides. How views differ can be gauged from the following. During the visit of a Chinese delegation led by their Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe to India in August 2018, a year after the Doklam standoff, he had a wide level talks with the Indian Raksha Mantri.
During the talks our Raksha Mantri told her counterpart that India was carrying out development on own side in the border areas for better connectivity, water supply, irrigation and electricity. She said that such measures should not be viewed with doubt. Chinese Defence Minister could not help saying that it should not affect our national interest…….he meant that unlike Chinese activities in POK, India should not carry out any development work in Arunachal, as it is claimed by China !!
Though after the talks both side had agreed towards signing a bilateral pact on defence cooperation and operationalisation of a military hotline between the two countries.
There was also an agreement on signing a memorandum of understanding to replace the 2006 pact. Earlier the two Countries were just having regular military exchanges. In 2018 they decided to expand the engagement between the armed forces through more frequent training and joint exercises.
The Indian Defence Minister extended an invitation to China to send one of the chiefs of their forces to India. At this the Chinese defence minister suggested that there should also be a mechanism for regularly interacting at least once in six months at any level.
In spite of already having 4 to 5 Border Personnel Meeting points on the Indo Tibetan border, China during the talks focused on having greater interaction at the local unit, brigade and command levels. The Indians though side stepped the issue and issued a statement that “It was agreed to work towards full implementation of ongoing confidence building measures as well as greater interactions at the working level to ensure the maintenance of peace and tranquility.”
The Chinese side at that time had suggested having more than one military hotline. They wanted that Indian HQ Commands controlling the Indo Tibetan border should each have a military hotline with the Chinese equivalent Commands and the Indian DGMO should have a hot line with the Chinese Western Theatre Commander.
It should be well understood by India, that the Chinese Defence Ministry actually has no say in matters military within the Chinese system. The ministry has no command or even staff powers, it only deals with ceremonial, protocol issues and diplomatic talks with defence ministries of other Countries.
The actual military nerve centre for day to day operational control is vested with the JOINT STAFF DEPARTMENT, which reports to the Central Military Commission. The Indian side should have at once suggested that the proposed hot line should be between the Joint Staff Department and the HQ IDS.
This hotline between the Western Theatre Command of China with the India Army should be either turned down most politely with a firm NO or just be ignored. The Indian DGMO should have a hot line with his Chinese Counter part in the PLA and nothing less.
In no case he should be talking to the Chief of Staff of a mere theatre Commander or even to the theatre Commander himself. Yes, if agreed to then our Eastern and Northern Command HQ may establish a hot line with the Chinese Western Theatre Commander.
Alternatively the Chinese may be told that they should wait till India also creates Theatre Commands. However the problem will still remain because the Chinese will still have to deal with an Indian North Western Theatre Command and a Eastern Theatre Command and may be a Central Theatre Command also.
To this, China however, has explained that as the Western Theatre Command is responsible for the front with India, therefore its commander should engage with the Indian DGMO. Thus downgrading the entire Indian Army to just a Theatre for the Chinese ie they are world leaders dictating to a regional player. Remember the American demand of having direct hot line between the Pacific Combatant Command of theirs with the Indian Naval HQ instead of A& N Command of India.
The Chinese added that by having a hotline with the Theatre Commander the Indian DGMO would become aware of every issue in all sectors of the Line of Actual Control.
Well the DGMO should be provided with this awareness by the Indian Northern, Western, Central and Eastern Army Commanders. He should certainly not get it first from the Chinese Western Theatre Commander.
Hotlines are certainly a necessity for better interaction between their armies and to defuse tensions caused by differing perceptions of the LAC. Due to the very geography and the Forces Organizational structure on the two sides are different.
The Chinese Western Theatre Commander perforce must talk to our four different army commanders as every Command has its own local perceptions and peculiarities. In case required, the level could then be raised to their Joint Staff Department and our HQ IDS.
For any talk at the Sword end level the mechanism of Border Personnel Management points are always available. At the most, the Military Districts within the Western Theatre Command may be permitted to establish a direct hotline with the respective Indian HQ Corps.
