NEW DELHI: Chinese Studies expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Professor Srikanth Kondapalli, on Saturday called China’s strategy along the Arunachal Pradesh border “salami slicing”, warning that the continued deployment of troops and offensive weapon systems near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) could increase the risk of a future conflict between India and China.
Speaking to ANI, Kondapalli said border transgressions were a recurring feature of the India-China frontier, with incidents taking place even when both countries maintained that stability prevailed along the LAC.
“It is a very serious issue in terms of the transgressions on the border. Generally, we have 300 to 400 transgressions on the border, the Line of Actual Control. So, this is not a one-off event. This happens regularly, even when both sides say they have stability on the border,” Kondapalli said.
He added that the number of transgressions varied between 380 and 430 annually, amounting to almost one incident a day. According to him, such incidents could be either intentional, involving attempts to assert territorial claims, or unintentional, resulting from difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions in high-altitude areas.
Kondapalli said deliberate transgressions were particularly concerning when either side attempted to expand its perceived claim area, potentially triggering confrontations between patrols.
“The Chinese are moving in with the salami slicing,” he said, referring to what he described as incremental advances into areas claimed by India.
He pointed to the Lungchu area in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district, where he alleged that Chinese activity had extended into Indian-claimed regions over several decades. He also referred to the Takshing area and other sensitive locations along the eastern sector of the LAC, where local-level confrontations and restrictions on movement have raised concerns.
Kondapalli identified several areas across the eastern, middle and western sectors where transgressions reportedly occur frequently. These include Asaphila, Lungchu, Namka Chu, Sumdorong Chu and Yangtse in the eastern sector, along with Barahoti in the middle sector and Pangong Tso and Demchok in Ladakh.
The professor said such incidents could remain limited to local-level confrontations but warned that they could escalate if patrols from both sides attempted to enforce competing territorial claims. (ANI)