US to take part in military exercise near disputed India-China border

China advances its retaliation after Pelosi's trip 2:44

(CNN) --

The United States will participate in a joint military exercise with India less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the South Asian country's disputed border with China.

The military exercises will be held in mid-October at an altitude of 3,048 (10,000 feet) in Auli, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and will focus on high-altitude warfare training, according to a senior Indian Army officer with knowledge of the matter.

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Auli is about 95 kilometers from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), an inhospitable terrain roughly delineating the disputed border between India and China.

The drills will be held as part of the 18th annual joint exercise known as "Yudh Abhyas" or "War Practice".

Relations between India and China have been strained since a bloody clash between their soldiers in the Himalayas in June 2020 left at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers dead.

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China has further heightened tensions recently with the construction of a bridge over Pangong Tso Lake that straddles the border, a move condemned by the Indian government as an "illegal occupation".

During a visit to India this year, US Army Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn described China's military build-up near the disputed border as "alarming".

When asked about the joint exercises, a US Defense Department spokesperson told CNN that the partnership with India was "one of the most important elements of our shared vision of a free and peaceful Indo-Pacific region." open”.

"An important element of this broader effort includes training exercises and events and Yudh Abhyas is one such annual bilateral exercise designed to enhance interoperability and enhance our respective capabilities to address a variety of regional security challenges," the spokesperson said.

Royal Control Line

A Chinese and an Indian soldier stand guard at the old Nathu La border crossing between the two countries in July 2008. Credit: Diptendu Dutta/AFP via Getty Images

The Line of Actual Control, the loosely defined de facto border between India and China, grew out of the Sino-Indian border war of 1962, which itself was triggered by longstanding historical territorial disagreements.

Its precise location can be blurred, and there is still a dispute between China and India over where one country ends and the other begins.

Any military provocation between India and China could have serious consequences.

They both have nuclear weapons.

Border tensions escalated between the two countries after soldiers fought with fists, stones and spiked bamboo sticks in a bloody battle that killed at least 20 Indian soldiers in June 2020 in the Galwan Valley near Aksai. Chin, an area controlled by China but claimed by both countries.

Although tensions have since subsided, both sides maintain a large troop presence in the border region, raising the risk of potential miscalculations in the event of sudden and unexpected clashes.