India’s handling of the border standoff with China shows that India is not weak and can respond appropriately to any form of cross-border, aggressive or unilateral behavior, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said in a speech during a Dec. 19 inspection of troops. He said India wants to resolve the dispute peacefully, but asserted that it will not tolerate any act that hurts its self-respect.
During a visit to the Indian Air Force Academy and an address to graduates Saturday, Singh said China’s “attitude reflects the country’s intentions” in the New Coronavirus crisis. “But we have shown that India is not weak,” he stressed. He said, “We do not want conflict, but peace. However, we will not tolerate any harm to the country’s self-respect.” He continued, “This is the new India, we are no longer weak. We are capable of dealing with any aggression, aggression and unilateral action on our borders.”
Also speaking about the India-Pakistan standoff, Singh said that despite India’s defeat of Pakistan in four wars, Pakistan continues to indulge in skirmishes on the border and accused the Pak of indulging in a “proxy war” using terrorism.
The military standoff between Chinese and Indian troops in the eastern part of Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been going on for more than seven months. Representatives of the two countries also held the 20th meeting of the China-India consultation and coordination working mechanism on border affairs on Friday. A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two sides had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the situation along the actual border control line between the two countries and agreed to continue to focus on disengagement of frontline troops, take pragmatic measures to resolve existing problems and promote further de-escalation of the border situation in accordance with the five-point consensus reached at the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Moscow.
A statement from the Indian Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed to maintain close consultations at the diplomatic and military levels. The two sides agreed that the next round (Round 9) of senior commanders’ meetings should be held as soon as possible so that the two sides can work towards early and full disengagement of forces along the Line of Actual Control and full restoration of peace and tranquility in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols.
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