GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global grouping and agreements.
Context:
- The assault on Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 was a “warning we should all heed”, and Australia stood up for India’s sovereignty, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense.
- He was referring to the standoff in eastern Ladakh and the clash in Galway Which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers.
- India is also set to participate in Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour exercise in October 2022.
Line of Actual Control(LAC):
- Demarcation Line: The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.
- LAC is different from the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan:
The LoC emerged from the 1948 ceasefire line negotiated by the United Nations (UN) after the Kashmir War.- It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the Shimla Agreement between the two countries. It is delineated on a map signed by the Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) of both armies and has the international sanctity of a legal agreement.
- The LAC, in contrast, is only a concept – it is not agreed upon by the two countries, neither delineated on a map nor demarcated on the ground.
- Length of the LAC: India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km.
Indo-Pacific Endeavour exercise:
- It Involves exercises and cooperation with 7 countries in the IOR including Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore.
- AUSINDEX 2019, the bilateral naval exercise between India and Australia held in April 2019 was also a part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 of Australia.
Galway Valley:
Insta Links:
To read about Galwan valley: click here
To read about India-Australia relations: click here
Practice Question
Q. Which of the following is the correct arrangement of LAC points from west to east?
a. ShipkiLa-Dibang Valley-Pangong Tso-Barahoti
b. Pangong Tso-ShipkiLa-Barahoti-Dibang Valley
c. Barahoti-Pangong Tso-ShipkiLa-Dibang Valley
d. ShipkiLa-Dibang Valley-Barahoti-Pangong Tso
Ans: (b)
Q. India and Australia have shared a cordial relation for a very long time and have witnessed an increased commitment in the recent past. Discuss. (10M)
