New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that Chinese soldiers have come in “goods numbers” at LAC in Ladakh and India has taken all necessary steps which are needed in the current situation.
Singh said that a meeting of high level army officials from both sides is scheduled on 6th June to try to resolve the issue. He said that the country has the capability to give a befitting reply to anyone who tries to hurt India’s pride or wants India to bow its head.
Singh said that currently China claims that the border is at one point and India claims that it is at another point and a dispute has risen. “Aur acchi khasi sankha mein Cheen ke log bi aa gaye hain (and Chinese troops have also come in good numbers),” the defence minister told a news channel on stand-off at Ladakh sector between Indian and Chinese armies. He said that India’s policy is clear that it doesn’t want to hurt the dignity of any country and nor will it allow any country to hurt India’s dignity.
He said that whenever such disputes have risen in the past between India and China including during Doklam standoff in 2017, it has been resolved through dialogue at military and diplomatic levels. He said that currently talks are going on at military level. Defence minister said that it is not just India who wants to resolve the dispute but even China is also saying so.
“Even during the meeting of our Ambassador and their foreign secretary, China has said that they want to resolve the issue peacefully through talks. If the issue is resolved through talks what could be better than that,” the defence minister said.
Singh said that from a long time something keeps on happening between India and China on the border issue. “Rarely any year would have gone when no face-off has occurred between Indian and Chinese troops at the border,” said the defence minister. He said that sometimes incidents have happened when troops have even snatched each other’s fire arms.
Singh said that he doesn’t consider any nation as an enemy. “We believe they are neighbors. But even Pakistan is our neighbor which has not learnt anything from its actions. But India wants good relations with every nation,” said the defence minister.
On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi statement asking government to clarify on situation with China, Singh said that there should be no politics over border disputes and on such issues everyone should be united. He said that this is not a time to ask questions and when needed “we will sit and talk with everyone.” Singh said that border security is not only the issue of BJP or Modi government but of the whole nation.
Singh statement comes when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that China's actions, be it on the India border, or in Hong Kong or in the South China Sea, have been part of the behaviour of the ruling Communist Party in Beijing in the recent past. "We see even today increasing forces of China moved up to the north of India on the Line of Actual Control there on the Indian border," he said.
"It's not just over the past six months. We've seen over the past number of years continued Chinese build out of their military capabilities, and then continually more aggressive action. I mentioned India. You've mentioned the South China Sea," Pompeo said.
He said that “we see these same kind of things with them attempting to build ports around the world as part of their Belt and Road Initiative, places where they can move the People's Liberation Army Navy. We've seen their continued efforts to expand militarily."
