US-India Joint Military Exercises Near China Border Area... Checking China's Power Expansion

Training in an Area Only 100km Away from a Conflict Zone

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The United States and India conducted joint military exercises near the border area with China. The exercises, held just about 100 kilometers from the site of the 2020 border dispute, are seen as a move to check China's expanding influence.

According to local media such as the Hindustan Times on the 30th (local time), the US and Indian militaries conducted the 18th joint military exercise yesterday in the Auri region of Uttarakhand state in northern India. This area is located just over 100 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the disputed border zone between India and China.

The exercise was part of the annual US-India joint military training called Yudh Abhyas (Wargame). Last year, Yudh Abhyas was held in Alaska, USA. This year, soldiers from both countries conducted various drills including surveillance network checks, casualty evacuation, medical support, and drone countermeasures in a cold high-altitude area averaging 2,800 meters above sea level.

The soldiers rappelled from helicopters to eliminate armed militants hiding in civilian houses and carried out operations involving unmanned bomb disposal vehicles. Approximately 350 personnel from the US airborne units and the Indian Army participated, and the training is expected to continue until early next month. Indian Brigadier Pankaj Verma evaluated, "The militaries of both countries shared the best experiences."

Meanwhile, India and China fought a nine-month war in 1962 over border issues, but have since failed to finalize the border line and remain in a standoff along the LAC. In May 2020, a brawl broke out between soldiers of both countries near the border area of Pangong Lake, followed by a bloody clash in June of the same year in the Galwan Valley, resulting in dozens of deaths. These incidents occurred repeatedly in the border region of Ladakh in northern India.

The Indian government is accelerating its military strengthening by increasing cooperation with the US to counter China's military buildup. In September, the Indian military commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, and recently began introducing domestically produced light combat helicopters for deployment in the Chinese border dispute areas.

The US is also focusing on checking China's expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region. The US leads the security consultation group 'Quad,' which includes India, Japan, and Australia, aimed at countering China, and conducts the multinational military exercise 'Malabar' annually with Quad member countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.