Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that India wanted to peacefully resolve the border tensions with China, but was not willing to tolerate any harm to its self-respect.
Singh was addressing a graduation parade at Hyderabad’s Dundigul Air Force station. “Both India and China are holding talks through military and diplomatic channels,” he said. “I want to repeat that we want peace and not conflict. But we will not tolerate any harm to the country’s self-respect.”
The defence minister added that new India was capable of responding to aggression in a befitting manner. “We have proved that India is not weak,” Singh said. “This is the new India that will give a befitting response to any transgression, aggression and unilateral action.”
Singh said that China’s attitude towards India amid the coronavirus crisis revealed the country’s true intentions. He emphasised that India believed in resolving disputes only through dialogue.
The defence minister also hit out at Pakistan for continuing “nefarious” activities at the border. “Pakistan is fighting a proxy war through terrorism even after being defeated in not one but four wars,” he added.
Singh, in reference to the Balakot Air strike in 2019, said that India was taking action against terrorism not only within the country but also across the border.
The India-China conflict
India and China on Friday agreed to continue working towards ensuring complete disengagement of soldiers along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh as the border standoff between the two neighbouring countries continues.
On December 11, India had blamed China for the ongoing border standoff between the two countries, claiming that it tried to effect a “unilateral change” in the eastern Ladakh region. This came two days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the ties between the neighbours are passing through their most difficult phase, claiming that Beijing has offered “five differing explanations” for violating agreements on maintaining peace.
On December 8, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the country was working with India for “further de-escalation” in Ladakh.
The tensions along the Line of Actual Control started with initial scuffles that led to a pitched battle – without firearms – in June that saw 20 Indian soldiers killed. Beijing, however, refused to release casualty numbers on its side. Both India and China have accused each other of crossing into rival territory and of firing shots for the first time in 45 years.
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