New Delhi: Underlining that China was facing “unanticipated consequences” for its misadventure in Ladakh because of a strong and firm response by the Indian forces, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat Friday said status quo has to be restored and India will not accept any shifting of Line of Actual Control (LAC).
He also said that while the probability of a full-scale conflict with China was low, border confrontations, transgressions and unprovoked tactical military action spiralling into a larger conflict cannot be ruled out.
His comments at a seminar of the National Defence College came on a day when the corps commanders from India and China are meeting for the 8th time in Eastern Ladakh to find a solution to the seven months-long stand-off between the forces of the two countries at the LAC.
“The situation along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh remains tense and the People’s Liberation Army is facing unanticipated consequences for its misadventure in Ladakh because of firm and strong responses by the Indian forces,” Rawat said.
The CDS was referring to India standing firm in the face-off with China and responding strongly to the aggression on 15 June in the Galwan Valley which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and several People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops.
Indian forces had also outmaneuvered the Chinese on 29-30 August to occupy strategic heights in the southern bank of the Pangong Tso, much to the angst of the Chinese who have been insisting that Indian troops vacate that area.
“Our posturing is unambiguous — status quo has to be restored and we will not accept any shifting of the Line of Actual Control,” Gen Rawat said.
He said that the situation at the LAC remains tense amid transgressions and “belligerent actions” by the Chinese.
Economic slowdown forcing China to be aggressive abroad
The CDS said that while economic slowdown due to pandemic has made China repressive at home, it has become aggressive abroad, evident from its posturing in the South China Sea, East China Sea and the Taiwan Straits.
He said that in the coming years, the world will witness aggressive pursuit of hegemonic interests by China, manifesting through economic exploitation of weaker nations, military modernisation and increased consternation with the West.
Giving an outlook of how the ties will shape in future, Gen Rawat was candid and said the persisting boundary dispute, China’s support to Pakistan, its increasing influence in South Asia through the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) projects and an unbalanced economic relationship is likely to ensure that, in the near future, the Sino-India relationship will remain a “fundamentally competitive one”.
He noted that China, with its ambition of emerging as a global power, is already making inroads into South Asia, Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and especially East Africa through BRI projects.
“Chinese aspirations are evident in the ever expanding Chinese military maritime footprints in the Indo-Pacific, huge investments in the IOR littorals, and entering into strategic partnership with a number of countries like South Africa, Egypt, Pakistan, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),” he said. “All this is aimed at creating favourable strategic posture to provide sufficient security to its overseas interest,” Gen Rawat added.
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After watching Shekar Gupta’s Off the Cuff with Ashley Tellis, I wonder whether the government of the day, with its political rhetoric has made the lives of armed forces more difficult. In a region where admittedly the boundaries are not marked, it seems highly rhetorical to speak not giving up even an inch of land. Who is to decide which inch is India’s? On the other hand, I think, the government should have given a broader mandate to the armed forces to broadly defend Indian territory, instead of defending “every inch of it”. Can the army and border forces guard every inch of 4000 km long border with China?
General you don’t have to accept any changes to the LAC, but as things stand you just have to swallow the bitter pill of DEpsang and S Pangong Tso.
But we back you- stand firm and maybe over time, things may improve. That’s how it is with the Chinese.
The general said ‘Status Quo’ has to be restored. Which clearly means that China has encroached on Indian territory, which is, contrary to what the politicians have claimed. The truth cannot be subdued. We have lost land…as simple as that.
Stop spreading lies. On June 19, Modi clearly said that no one has intruded in our territory, so there is no question of the status quo being restored. These type of lies masquerading as news is spread to tarnish the image of Modi who is the most powerful leader in the whole world. He is the GREATEST leader ever to have ruled India
Greatest leader why not he speaks about Chinese intrusion. What for our army is deployed if Chinese are not intruded. They have encroached 975 square kilometers after April may 2020 as per intelligence report. Vajpayee admitted kargil intrusion and modiji has no courage to admit the Chinese intrusion. He simply talks!
Status quo ante. Etched in granite.