On the 15th of June, India and China were involved in a blood-soaked standoff that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and according to US intelligence reports, at least 35 Chinese soldiers were killed. Post the stand-off, China had unleashed its propaganda war on India, claiming that India was the aggressor in the situation and that China wanted peaceful coexistence. Now, a US intelligence report has summarily exposed the nefarious designs of China and revealed that the attack against Indian troops was ordered by a senior Chinese Commander to ‘teach India a lesson’.
The intelligence report says, “Gen. Zhao Zongqi, head of the Western Theater Command and among the few combat veterans still serving in the People’s Liberation Army, approved the operation” in Galwan Valley. The report categorically states that the attack against India was ordered to project an image of strength by China and to not appear ‘weak’ in either in front of the USA and its allies, including India. Interestingly, the intelligence report has revealed the Zhao had overseen other attacks against Indian soldiers as well and had orchestrated the Galwan valley attack to ‘teach India a lesson’.
From this initial assessment by the US, two things emerge clearly – firstly, China’s claims that the deadly skirmish was a spontaneous result of the escalation of tensions at the LAC, just like prior skirmishes was incorrect. Secondly, it also proves that China was trying to “punish” India for becoming an ally of the USA as the USA’s attempts to impose punitive costs against China post the Coronavirus pandemic have escalated.
China’s plant to attack India backfired: US intelligence report
The intelligence report by the USA clearly states that China’s plan to attack India in order to “punish” it for allying with the USA clearly backfired and failed to pressure India. The report states that the attack by China against India “does the very opposite of what it wanted”, and “This is not a victory for China’s military.” It observes that the attack by China has inspired widespread outrage in India and actually, pushed India closer to the USA in its economic policies.
How China initiated the attack against India
The US intelligence report says that on 15th of June, “a senior Indian officer and two non-commissioned officers travelled unarmed to a meeting place where they expected to be met by a comparable delegation of Chinese troops to discuss the withdrawal, according to the source familiar with the U.S. assessment of the incident. Instead, dozens of Chinese troops were waiting with spiked bats and clubs and began an attack. Other Indian troops came in to support, leading to a melee that caused more casualties from the improvised weapons, rocks and falls from the steep terrain”.
Essentially, the assessment proves that contrary to the claims by China, it was China that started the unprovoked, planned attack against Indian soldiers while the Indian soldiers had gone unarmed, per convention, to negotiate disengagement.
A silent funeral of Chinese soldiers held, officer who orchestrated attack against India was also involved in Doklam
The USA Today report says, “The U.S. believes Zhao, the Chinese general who commanded the forces involved, held a memorial service for the PLA soldiers who died in the incident – an occasion that would normally attract some form of state-sponsored publicity. Instead, Chinese censors have since cracked down on social media posts about the incident, including ones that mention “defeat” and “humiliation” when describing the dead or injured Chinese troops”.
Essentially, the USA intelligence report says that China had several casualties and Zhao held a memorial service for the Chinese soldiers killed in the stand-off, however, the state media completely blacked out the event since China wanted to project a position of “strength” and claim that it had no casualties in the stand off.
The US intelligence report also says that the Chinese General who orchestrated the Galwan attack on India was also involved in the Doklam stand-off.
