China’s mobilisations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in May 2020 that sparked a crisis that, two years on, still remains unresolved, could not have likely happened without the top leadership’s consent, according to Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda (retd.), former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Army Command.
“It’s impossible that such a large-scale and coordinated action…was done locally,” Gen. Hooda told The Hindu, adding that the change in the Chinese military’s behaviour pre-dated the 2020 crisis with a gradual dilution in the confidence-building measures (CBMs) going as far back as 2013, when President Xi Jinping took over.
Two years into the crisis, Gen. Hooda said there was a need to revisit those CBMs that had helped keep the peace for decades. The 2020 crisis served as a “wake-up call” and there was “greater focus” on dealing with the threat along the northern borders, he said. India “must continue to insist” on restoring the status quo ante.
