February 4, 2008 - Manmohan Singh's visit to China and the hype surrounding it had come to an end. But the contentious border dispute between the two Asian giants failed to see any break through.

The Indo - China border dispute has a new twist to the tale with the entry of Ladakh in the scene. After Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Bhutanese territory at the tri-junction it is the turn of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chinese incursion in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir had created a sense of insecurity among people. The contentions border issue between India and China in Ladakh region in western Himalayas was raised by Ladakh Member of Parliament Thupstan Chhewang.

Thupstan Chhewang told,  "India is ready to compromise on Ladakh. India would recognize Aksai-Chin in lieu of recognizing Arunachal Pradesh by China". He also alleges that since Arunachal Pradesh is heavily populated India is ready to cede Ladakh."

Thupstan Chhewang cites reports that near the Pangong lake, the Chinese even started constructing a road on Indian territory and in Demchok area in Ladakh they have violated Line of Acutal Control from Charding nallah side.

The Demchok tract is situated in the Chumathang belt and the Indus flows through it. This was the historic route of the caravans heading to various parts of China. Ladakhis have been demanding the use of the Demchok tract to facilitate road travel to Kailash Manasarovar.

The village itself was divided into two parts one held by India and the other by China after the 1962 Sino-Indian war. Old Demchok held by China and New Demchok held by India. On ground do not recognize a difference between Old Demchok and New Demchok.

General V.P Mallik who headed the Indian armed forces during the 1999 Kargil crisis mentions in his book 'Kargil - from surprise to victory' that China made a "demonstrative support" to Pakistan at the height of the conflict.

He also mentions in his book that the Chinese forces also made a show of force in Demchok, in eastern Ladakh, constructed a track from Spanggur to south end of Pangong Lake and a track in Trigg heights.

Media reports published from India suggests that China had developed new air field in Shiquanhe in Gar Gunsa, which can have strategic ramifications for Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Then in the western sector, along the strategic lake of Pangong Tso, they have built a road from Chuti Chan La to Bush area on the Indian side of LAC.

In a war situation, development of three rail heads at Kashi in the western sector, Golmud in the middle sector and Chengu in the eastern sector of LAC can enable rapid mobilisation of troops and missiles. Road network too has been strengthened with the construction of a Western and Eastern Highway besides a Central Highway in Tibet right up to LAC.

Thupstan Chhewang adds that "During the visit of Manmohan Singh to China there was not a single word mentioned on Aksai Chin near Ladakh." The Indian parliament resolution in 1994 had included Aksai Chin and Pakistan -Occupied Kashmir as an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Aksai Chin is a region located at the juncture of China, Pakistan, and India. It represents about one fifth of Jammu and Kashmir. Aksai Chin has no permanent settlements (the name literally means "Chin's desert of white stones").

China strategic National Highway 219 that connects Tibet and Xinjiang passes through Aksai Chin. India claims Aksai China as a part of Ladakh. The 1962 Indo-China started with Aksai Chin when Chinese troops started building road. India protested which escalated in a full fledged war.

It culminated in China seizing about 38,000 square kilometers (14,670 sq mile) of Indian Territory in Aksai Chin, as well as another 5,180 sq km (2,000 sq miles) of northern Kashmir that Pakistan later ceded to Beijing under a 1963 pact. India had failed to recapture Aksai Chin after the 1962 war.

Jawahar Lal Nehru once commented when asked about the failure "Not a blade of grass grows in Aksai Chin." But strategically its importance could not be denied either by India or China. The official Indian stand is that inch of land lost in 1962 was to be recovered.

China and India share the longest boundary dispute in the world. The boundary is divided into three sectors- western (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh), middle (Uttarakhand) and eastern, (Northeast).

The area of disputed boundary runs to about 2,800 km in all the three sectors. The two countries have undertaken a number of military confidence-building measures (CBMs) and have held 11 rounds of boundary negotiations, but this has yielded limited results.

The latest round of border talks was held during India's PM visit to China on January 13-15 2008. South Block's assessment is that the Chinese want to draw the border in a straight line on the lake in the Western sector, which will prove to be trategically advantageous for them. Not far away in the same sector they have violated Line of Actual Control from Demchok area in Ladakh.

India has begun to counter the bolstering of infrastructure by China, with detailed plans for all the three sectors - western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh).

Sources close to Indian government add that it has plans to reactivate airfields like Chushul in Ladakh, besides setting up new airfields to ward off Chinese dominance. Chushul is used only for chopper operations despite having a runway while China is said to have built new airfields in and around Tibet.

These plans include a 608-km road network project along LAC, which will have 27 road links along J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the overall 7,603-km Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the entire North-East.

There is a skeptics that China will not risk a full-scale war with India, the pattern and the intent behind these incursions seem to lend credence to the theory that China is working towards laying claim to some parts of the disputed territory. Another big factor that works in China's favor is that the absence of LAC being physically demarcated on the ground and on military maps.

When contacted V.P Mallik told to "the boundary disputes should be settled as early as possible so that they are no misconceptions among India and China."

From the Indian government side Pranab Mukherjee said in an interview "Sometimes incursions take place. We immediately take it up. Mechanisms have been established through which we address these types of problems," he said. On whether the frequency of incursions has increased, he said: "It is not unusual (but) it has not suddenly increased."