• Indian Army has occupied dominating heights at Finger 4 facing Chinese in Pangong Tso.
• Government blocks 118 more mobile apps which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defense of India, Security of State and Public Order: GoI.
• Amid tension on border, Indian and Chinese Brigadiers have begun another meeting at the Chushul talks hut, situated 8.9 km from the Indian positions at Kaala Top/ Helmet Top & Indian positions at 20 km from Reqin La.
• All border forces have been asked to be at high alert, besides Tri-services, Border Security Forces, (BSF), Indo-Tibet Border Police, Assam Rifles, and Special Frontier Force (SFF).
• In the 1950s, Khampa guerrillas stoutly fought against Chinese troops invading Tibet. They are the forebears to Tibetan commandos of the SFF, now deployed in Ladakh. These highland warriors took their first casualties this week.
• Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane and Foreign Secy. HV Shringla have cancelled their forthcoming trip to Myanmar due to ongoing border tensions with China at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

Indian Army foils 3 attempts by China to change LAC status quo

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava on Tue’s late evening issued a statement to counter Chines Foreign Office’s claims made over Line of Actual Control (LAC) made via various channels. [see yesterday’s newsletter]

Statement read as

• China has made three attempts to change the status quo along the LAC in as many days, while firmly rejecting Beijing’s efforts to pin the blame on New Delhi for the spike in tensions over the weekend.
• MEA said China “engaged in provocative military maneuvers in the late night of Aug 29/30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake“.
• “(The Indian Army) responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity“.
• “Furthermore, on Aug 31^st, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo.”
• India has taken up the matter of “recent provocative and aggressive actions” with Beijing through diplomatic and military channels, he said, adding that India has also “urged them to discipline and control their front-line troops from undertaking such provocative actions“.
• China’s actions since May along the LAC have been “in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility along the border“.
• “Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two foreign ministers as also the special representatives,” he added, referring to telephone conversations in June and July.
• India, was “firmly committed to resolve all outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector through peaceful dialogue“.
• “In this context, we expect the Chinese side to sincerely abide by the understanding reached earlier and earnestly work with India to resolve the situation and restore peace in the border areas.”

While Chinese FM spokesperson Hua Chunying, responded to above statements and said “As Indian side claimed that Indian troops pre-empted the Chinese military activity, it fully demonstrated that the new border clash was caused by Indian troops’ illegal trespassing of the LAC.”

“As far as I know, no Indian soldiers were killed in the recent border clash,” Hua denying reports claiming an Indian soldier was killed in a border clash with Chinese troops on Sat.”

The developments show New Delhi is willing to change the rules of engagement along the LAC, with the Indian Army pushing back against Chinese troops seeking to open a new front along the LAC in Ladakh, besides strengthening its positions along strategic heights in the area.

• The moves, seen as defensive by the Indian Army but considered provocative by China, “increases the chances of conflict between the two countries”, said an expert of Chinese studies.
• It’s also because the Indian Army has taken up positions along dominating peaks on the Indian side of the LAC, but not very far from the Chinese posts, heightening the chances of a localized conflict, Kondapalli added.
• In New Delhi, the spike in tensions—the most serious incident after the violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Galwan Valley on 15 June—was discussed at a meeting held by defense minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chief of Defense Staff, Bipin Rawat, besides the tri-service chiefs.
• Indian Army officials said the southern bank of Pangong Tso has always been controlled by India with a major presence of troops, unlike the Finger area on the northern bank, arousing suspicion that China was attempting to open a new front with the aim of changing the status quo on the ground.

The entire world is beginning to unite against China’s unfair practices and countries like India, Australia, Japan and South Korea are going to partner with the US to push back Beijing on every front, US Secy of State Mike Pompeo has said.

The US is intensifying pressure on China, piling on visa bans, sanctions and other restrictions that are battering the already unsettled ties between the world’s two largest economies.