What happens if China wants to test the Indian military resolve?
A fight in the Himalayas would be welcomed by both India and Chinese militaries. If that happens then India will test the overstated Chinese military resolve. Putting the same perspective, it will test India’s military preparations also.
In the past 10 years, the Chinese have played their ancient board game of “Weiqi” in the Himalayas where you do not knock your opponent out but bit by bit move forward to grab an advantage. In India, it is called ‘salami slicing'.
Are the Chinese prepared to fight an Indian army well prepared for the Himalayas? I guess not if they are playing the Weiqi game. Most Indian military observers and commanders have confirmed that the current Chinese numbers in Tibet and Sinkiang do not permit the Chinese to launch a military attack. Also, their firepower advantage has been sufficiently neutralized. Their total military strength has grown from 250,000 to 350,000 in the past decade. India has a similar strength in the Himalayas. As for Ladakh, India has most of the advantages, with the exception of the completion of part of the infrastructure network. Otherwise the Chinese have no advantage.
Indian infrastructure build up is good and near completion. India has a bigger AirPower advantage as its bases are at a lower elevation. On the other hand the Chinese airbases are at a higher elevation, hence cannot take off with a full load of fuel and bombs. Their vulnerability is increased by that.
Their much touted rocket force is too numerous and all built to confront the US at sea. Their DF-15, DF-17, DF-21 have the range to fire at a distance 500 to 1500km respectively and are not battlefield missiles. These are useless in the mountains and valley(s) in the Himalayas. Moreover the Indian position is all on the reverse side of the mountains, hence not possible for rockets to target Indian positions accurately. India has much more flexible missiles in Parlay short range battlefield missiles, Brahmos high speed and high maneuver missile and Prithvi medium range missiles, etc. Also, India outmatches the Chinese in long range artillery. Almost everything of military value Chinese have been within the artillery range.
From soldier to soldier, the Indians are better trained and acclimatised to the mountains. Chinese boys are plains boys who come to fulfill their college entry requirements.
The Chinese invincibility propaganda is often paid for. Their military has not been tested since 1979, when they lost miserably in Vietnam, despite claiming victory. Whenever they threaten to invade Taiwan, they restrain themselves. Reasons, they are not sure of victory. If victory does not come, then they have a loss of prestige, that is not acceptable to the Chinese. In comparison, India has fought a large scale war in 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is fully trained for the war.
As a result, we must abandon the notion of Chinese advantage. Well, there isn't one. Much of their military is tied to the East, facing Taiwan, Japan, and the US, etc.
