US, India to hold military exercise near disputed Chinese border

Robert Besser
11 Aug 2022, 15:43 GMT+10

The U.S. will participate in a joint military exercise in mid-October with India, less than 62 miles from its disputed border with China
According to a senior Indian Army officer, the military drills will be held at an altitude of 10,000 feet in Auli, Uttarakhand state, near the Line of Actual Control
The LAC is a de facto border between India and China, which emerged from the Sino-Indian border war of 1962, sparked by long standing historical territorial disagreements

WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. will participate in a joint military exercise in mid-October with India, less than 62 miles from its disputed border with China.

According to a senior Indian Army officer, the military drills will be held at an altitude of 10,000 feet in Auli, Uttarakhand state, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The LAC is a de facto border between India and China, which emerged from the Sino-Indian border war of 1962, sparked by long standing historical territorial disagreements.

The drills will take place as part of the 18th War Practice annual joint exercise.

Since a clash in the Himalayas in June 2020 left at least 20 Indian troops and four Chinese soldiers dead, relations between India and China have remained strained.

China's construction of a bridge across the Pangong Tso lake, a move condemned by the Indian government as an "illegal occupation," further heightened tensions.

U.S. Army Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn described China's military build-up near the disputed border as "alarming," when visiting India this year.

In an interview with CNN, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson also said that the partnership with India was "one of the most important elements of our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region."

Despite tensions easing since the clash in 2020, both sides have maintained a large troop presence in the border region, raising the risk of sudden and unexpected clashes.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Francisco Star.

More Information