Ahead of Antony visit, PLA commander flays troop deployment.
Hours before defence minister AK Antony was to land in Beijing on Thursday, a Chinese General warned India against stirring up a “new trouble” in a long-running border dispute.
Leading a high-level delegation, Antony left for a four-day official visit to China to discuss issues of defence co-operation between the two countries.
According to agency reports, Major General Luo Yuan, deputy-director general of the world military research department at a PLA academy, told reporters that increasing military deployment at the border will stir up new trouble. “The Indian side should not provoke new problems and increase the military deployment at the border areas and start new trouble,” General Luo said.
Only last month, India cleared the army’s proposal worth Rs 81,000 crore to have a full-fledged Mountain Strike Corp for the eastern sector.
Raising of a dedicated Mountain Strike Corp will be finally cleared after a nod from the Cabinet Committee on security. Besides, the army is also seeking infrastructure at eastern border to upgrade swiftly to enable it to operate effectively in the difficult terrain along the over 4000 km boundary with China.
Apart from Strike Corps, the army has also plans to raise two independent infantry brigade and two independent armoured brigade to counter Chinese offensive capabilities.
Apart from army, the navy is also strengthening its offensive capability all its nuclear submarine would be set for eastern sea bed. Indian navy is already patrolling south china sea to protect country’s interest.
Agency reports quoted Luo as saying: “India is the only country in the world that says that it is developing its military power because of China’s military threat... So I believe that India should be very cautious in what it does and what it says.”
In the absence of clear demarcation of border and both sides having a difference of perception at the Line of Actual Control, incidents of incursions keep happening regularly. Issues are primarily tackled at military level by various exercises like banner drill and flag meetings at local commanders level.
Recently, there was a flare up in the Ladakh sector after the Chinese People Liberation Army entered 18 kilometres into India and set up a tented post in the Daulat Beig Oldie sector. A three-week stand-off ensued and was resolved after talks between local military leaders and a withdrawal of troops from both sides.
Luo, however, played down the Chinese incursion, saying that “this issue is triggered by media and media sometime overstate the problem. “We hope both sides keep patience and cool mind to solve this problem,” he said.
Antony’s visit, on which he is accompanied by top military commanders, coincides with a trip to China by Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
“There is still problem of 90,000 sq km of territory still occupied by the Indian side. These are the problems left over from history and we should look at it with cool head,” General Luo said while talking to foreign correspondents. — With agency inputs
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