China’s “unexpected” maneuver should not have been unexpected at all. Last August, China’s government vigorously condemned India’s establishment of Ladakh — including the Chinese-held Aksai Chin Plateau — as a new federal territory. (China seized Aksai Chin in the 1950s, after gobbling up Tibet, which had previously served as a buffer with India.) And the PLA had been conducting regular combat exercises near the Indian border this year. Deception, concealment and surprise often accompany China’s use of force, with Chinese leaders repeatedly claiming that military preemption was a defensive measure. Its latest assault on India — which China claims is the actual aggressor — was taken straight from this playbook.
Brahma Chellaney, ‘India’s appeasement policy toward China unravels’, Japan Times
