Amid the tension with China at Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is spiking day-by-day since June, the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday said that border confrontations and unprovoked military actions spiralling into a larger conflict can’t be discounted, news agency PTI reported.
Rawat said China’s People’s Liberation Army was facing “unanticipated consequences” for its misadventure in Ladakh because of firm responses by Indian forces.
“Our posturing is unambiguous; we will not accept any shift in the Line of Actual Control,” PTI quoted the Chief of Defence Staff as saying at a webinar organized by the National Defence College.
“In the overall security calculus: border confrontations, transgressions, unprovoked tactical military actions — spiralling into a larger conflict therefore cannot be discounted,” Rawat said.
CDS’s statement is highly significant as it is coming at a time when the military talk between India and China at Chushul is underway.
However, the CDS also pointed out that India’s posturing is unambiguous and she “will not accept any shift in Line of Actual Control”.
He also said that China’s People’s Liberation Army is facing unanticipated consequences for its misadventure into Ladakh because of firm responses by Indian forces.
The military level talks underway since 9.30 a.m. were the eighth round.
Further, speaking about defence cooperation, the CDS said that India understand the importance of leveraging defence diplomacy in building mutual trust and partnerships with strategically important countries.
He also said that in the coming years, Indian defence industry will be growing exponentially and contribute to the overall defence preparedness. “The industry will deliver us state-of-art weapons and equipment fully made in India,” General Rawat said.
The officer said that as India grows in stature, security challenges will rise proportionately.
“We must move out of the constant threat of sanctions or dependency on individual nations for our military requirements and invest in building long-term indigenous capability for strategic independence and application of decisive military power to squarely meet present and emerging challenges,” he added.
(With agencies inputs)