Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Saturday expressed concern over China‘s military build-up in the eastern Ladakh region. He further said that the new infrastructure development to sustain the large-scale deployment is also a matter of concern.
He said that India has been keeping a close watch on Chinese PLA’s activities. He also warned that if the deployment continuous through the second winter, it may result in an LoC-like situation. However, it will not be an active LoC situation as there on the western front with Pakistan.
Gen Naravane further said that if the Chinese military continues to deploy its military, the Indian side too will maintain its presence on its side which is “as good as what the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has done”.
“Yes, it is a matter of concern that the large-scale build-up has occurred and continues to be in place, and to sustain that kind of a build-up, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side,” Gen Naravane said at the India Today conclave.
“So, it means that they (PLA) are there to stay. We are keeping a close watch on all these developments, but if they are there to stay, we are there to stay too,” he said.
“But what this would, especially if they continue to stay there through the second winter, definitely mean that we will be in a kind of LC (Line of Control) situation though not an active LC as is there on the western front,” he said.
“But definitely, we will have to keep a close eye on all the troop build-up and deployments to see that they do not get into any misadventure once again,” the Army Chief said.
India-China standoff
India and China have been on a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for nearly 17 months. However, following a series of talks, the militaries of both the countries disengaged from several friction points this year.
The standoff began on May 5, 2020 in eastern Ladakh after a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
As a result, both the sides sent tens of thousands of troops and heavy weaponry and enhanced their deployment.
Currently, there are around 50,000 to 60,000 troops from each side in the sensitive sector along the LAC.
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