Who does Galwan Valley belong to?

Who does Galwan Valley belong to?

• Violence in the Galwan Valley on the India-China border has claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers.

Background:

• Recently, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement claimed that the entire Galwan valley is located “on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)”, which followed a statement from the People’s Liberation Army stating that “China always owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region”.
• India has dismissed the claims.

Details:

• Galwan river and Valley:
• The Galwan river has its source in Aksai Chin, on China’s side of the LAC, and it flows east to Ladakh, where it meets the Shyok river on India’s side of the LAC.
• The Galwan valley refers to the land that sits between steep mountains that buffet the Galwan River.
• Line of Actual Control:
• The LAC lies east of the confluence of the Galwan and Shyok rivers in the valley.
• After the clash on June 15, 2020, China has claimed that the entire valley lies on its side of the LAC, which pegs the LAC further west near the Shyok river.
• India has rejected the claim as “exaggerated and untenable”.
• Territorial claims and LAC claims:
• Territorial claims and LAC claims are not the same. The distinction between territorial claims and LAC claims is sometimes blurred.
• The LAC refers to territory under the effective control of each side, not to their entire territorial claim.
• The strategic importance of the Galwan valley:
• The Galwan valley is strategically located between Ladakh in the west and Aksai Chin in the east. At its western end are the Shyok river and the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road. Its eastern mouth lies close to China’s vital Xinjiang Tibet road.
• China has been objecting to India’s road construction activities at the western end of the valley, in the area between the Galwan-Shyok confluence and the LAC. India’s newly built Darbuk Shyok Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road, which leads to the base of the Karakoram Pass, is within striking distance from the Galwan valley. The Chinese can disrupt traffic over an under-construction bridge along the DSDBO road, using heavy weapons.
• The Galwan Valley is also not far from Aksai Chin, which is occupied by China. China’s highway number G219 passes through Aksai Chin, which is a vital artery linking the sporadically restive Tibet and Xinjiang, the gateway to Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. In order to protect their strategic road in Aksai Chin built in the 1950s, the Chinese have unilaterally expanded their territorial claim line along commanding heights, including the Galwan Valley.