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Managing the Sino-Indian border requires close monitoring, General Manoj Pande said. (File photo) Army Chief of Staff General Manoj Pande said the transgressions remained the potential trigger for escalations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, saying India had sufficient reserves and was prepared for any eventuality. . Speaking at an event on Monday, he also said China wanted to replace the United States as the global Internet security provider, citing Beijing's involvement in brokering recent peace talks between main rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran and the filing of a peace plan to end the 13-month Russo-Ukrainian War.
The army chief said China has built up significant capabilities for force mobilization, implementation and sustainment of military operations and has a long-standing border issue that cannot be divorced from bilateral ties between the two Asian giants. .
General Pande said that Chinese attempts to perpetrate transgressions through FTA in violation of previous agreements/protocols remain a matter of concern for India, but the readiness of the army remains at a high level, comments that come against the backdrop of the standoff border crossing in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.
He spoke at the Second Strategic Dialogue on "China's Rise and Its Implications for the World," organized by Savitribai Phule University in Pune and the New Delhi-based China Strategy and Analysis Center.
"I believe the most important aspect of our operating environment remains our legacy of contested and unstable border challenges. Pockets of contention and disputed territory claims continue to exist due to differing perceptions of the alignment of the effective line of control. The transgressions continue to be the potential trigger for escalations”, warned the chief of the Army General Staff.
Therefore, the management of the Sino-Indian border requires close monitoring as diseases can lead to a broader conflict, General Pande said.
"As we all knew, we have agreements/protocols, (signed in) 1993, 1996, 2005 and 2013, in the military field to maintain peace and tranquility in LAC. China's violations of these remain a matter of concern, with their intent to perpetrate... transgressions in LAC," he said.
The decades-old border issue cannot be divorced from bilateral relations, General Pande stated, then quoted Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar as saying: finding a positive trajectory and remaining sustainable must be based on three mutual sensitivities: respect and interest." New Delhi has repeatedly argued that its ties with Beijing can only be normal if there is peace in the border areas.
General Pande said that there are mechanisms of commitment at the political, diplomatic and military level between the two countries, which are used in an optimal way to guarantee stability throughout LAC.
The talks continue under these settlement mechanisms, he said.
“China has accumulated significant capabilities for the mobilization, application and conduct of military operations. It has built infrastructure of military importance, be it roads, airfields, heliports, etc.," added the army chief.
He said that the Indian Army's strategic direction and long-term capacity building have been focused on the northern border.
"We have carried out the necessary rebalancing of forces to influence the desired response on the northern border," said General Pande.
The army chief insisted that India had sufficient reserves and was ready for any eventuality.
"Our readiness remains top-notch and the troops have continued to deal with the PLA (People's Liberation Army of China) in a firm, resolute and measured manner, while ensuring the sanctity of our claims," he said.
General Pande said that the Indian Army has intensified its efforts to bring to fruition the operationally critical logistics needs, especially the roads in the forward areas.
The Indian Army is working in synergy with all agencies in advanced areas to improve infrastructure, he added.
General Pande said that after becoming an economic powerhouse, China seeks to strengthen its global role.
"The negotiation of the peace talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the presentation of the Chinese 12-point peace plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict reflect the Chinese urgency to replace the United States as the global provider of Internet security," said.
Speaking of China's rapid economic rise, General Pande noted that the communist giant's growth in the economic field is unprecedented.
"Within a few decades of initiating widespread reforms, it has grown from a primarily agrarian economy to a world leader in the manufacturing and service sectors. Due to its industrial prowess, it has also made a name for itself as the 'world's factory' ". After this success, many developing countries and their leaders sought to emulate China," he said.
The army chief noted that China is now the world's largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (based on purchasing power) and its economic expansion is multifaceted.
"On the one hand, it is building an 'international network of coercion through predatory economics,' while on the other, it claims to lift more than 100 million of its own citizens out of poverty.
"Their efforts to expand the sphere of influence through economic maneuvering, the militarization of resource supply chains, the financing of large infrastructure projects in defiance of environmental and security standards, and the recipient countries with unsustainable debt, are there for the world to see." he said. .
The Army Chief of Staff said worrisome problems persisted with the theft of intellectual property rights, the theft of trade secrets and technology from foreign companies, and unfair trade practices.
