China's state-affiliated media says death of Gen Rawat in chopper crash exposes India’s lack of combat preparedness

Global Times reacts as Twitterati go abuzz over links between crashes that killed military leaders of India, Taiwan

A media organization run by the Communist Party of China (CPC) dismissed as “conspiracy theory” the speculation about a link between two separate helicopter crashes, which killed top military leaders of Taiwan and India – the two nations facing the belligerence of Xi Jinping's 'Middle Kingdom'.

The Global Times, a media outlet run by the CPC, also published a report, claiming that the helicopter crash, which killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday, had not only “exposed the lack of discipline and combat preparedness” of India, but also “dealt a heavy blow to the country's military modernization”. It also quoted some 'experts' stating that India's “aggressive posture” toward China in the border region between the two nations would not change even after the death of Gen Rawat.

After General Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed in the helicopter crash at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the Twitter went abuzz speculating a link between the incident and another similar mishap, which had killed Taiwan's top military leader General Shen Yi-ming on January 2, 2020. The Black Hawk helicopter of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force had crashed at Wulai in New Taipei, killing not only General Shen Yi-ming, but also seven other military officials. General Shen Yi-ming was General Rawat's counterpart in Taiwan.

“General Rawat's death has an eerie parallel with the helicopter crash in early 2020 that killed Taiwan's chief of general staff, Gen Shen Yi-ming, and seven others, including two major generals. Each helicopter crash eliminated a key figure in the defence against PRC's (People's Republic of China) aggression,” Brahma Chellaney, eminent strategic affairs expert, posted on Twitter. He also noted that with the 20-month-long stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh still on, the tragic death of General Rawat “could not have come at a worse time”.

Chellaney's tweet was retweeted by many while others also posted similar comments linking the two incidents.

The Global Times sharply reacted, dismissing the speculation about a link between the two as “ridiculous” and accusing Chellaney of spinning a “conspiracy theory”.

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