Any attempt by India at physical eviction is going to lead to major conflict with China: Foreign policy expert

Any attempt at physical eviction of the Chinese in Ladakh's Galwan Valley by India is going to lead to a major conflict between the two countries said Ashley Tellis.

The Washington Post quoted Ashley Tellis, a former senior George W. Bush administration official and longtime India expert, as saying "Any attempt at physical eviction is going to lead to major conflict".

"India is likely to try to negotiate a withdrawal while blocking any future intrusions," Tellis further said.

Tellis' statement comes against the backdrop of the violent face-off that happened in late evening and night of June 15 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley. India said on Tuesday that this was a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during de-escalation and the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.

According to The Washington Post, India has limited options for responding to Chinese incursions.

Most of the lengthy frontier between India and China is neither marked in real life nor delineated. Instead, the Indian and Chinese armies send patrols up to what they claim is the Line of Actual Control and then retreat.

Altercations have ensued but rarely serious ones but what occurred last month is qualitatively different, analysts say.

Instead of expanding patrol arcs deeper into Indian-claimed areas as they have done in the past, Chinese troops have "taken physical possession by occupying territory," said Tellis.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that both sides suffered casualties in the violent face-off and the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley.

Responding to media queries Srivastava said that India and China have been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh.

Major Generals of India and China are talking to defuse the situation in Ladakh's Galwan Valley and other areas after the violent face-off Army sources said on Tuesday.

There is a "new edge" to China's attitude, said Nirupama Rao, a former Indian ambassador to China. "This assertiveness, this readiness to throw [away] internationally accepted behavior to advance their claims and interests, it's worrisome for so many countries."

( With inputs from ANI )