Talks with China positive, says Rajnath Singh

The recent talks between senior military officials of India and China were “very positive”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, even as Indian Army started a review of its preparedness along the entire stretch of its disputed boundary with the neighbouring communist country.

The Defence Minister had a meeting with the top military officials and was briefed about the ongoing build-ups by both sides along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between the two nations – on the bank of the Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh. He was also briefed about the efforts to de-escalate the situation, including what transpired in the meeting between the commanders of Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Saturday.

Singh later said that the boundary dispute between India and China had been going on since long back and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government was keen to resolve it “as soon as possible”.

He also referred to the recent demand by the Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders for a statement by the government on the situation along India-China disputed boundary in eastern Ladakh. “As the Defence Minister of the country, I want to say that whatever I have to say I will say it inside Parliament, I will not mislead the people,” the Defence Minister said while addressing over video-link an event organised by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Singh had a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the chiefs of Indian Army, Air Force and Navy – Gen M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K Singh Bhadauria and Admiral Karambir Singh – on Monday. He was briefed about the meeting between the senior officials of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA had on Saturday to defuse tension along the disputed boundary between the two nations on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso lake.

Lt Gen Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 14 corps of the Indian Army, led the delegation from India in the meeting with the Chinese PLA officials at Chushul-Moldo point on the LAC on Saturday. The Chinese PLA delegation was led by its commander in charge of the South Xinjiang Military Region, Maj Gen Liu Lin.

“Talks with China are on at military and diplomatic levels (to de-escalate the situation),” Singh said, adding: “The June 6 talks were very positive and both the countries have agreed to continue talks to resolve the ongoing situation”. He also said that leadership of the country was “in strong hands”. “We will not compromise on India's pride and self-respect”.

The Defence Minister also reviewed during his meeting with the top military brass the general preparedness of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force to deal with any eventuality.

Lt Gen RP Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief of the Western Command, on Monday visited forward posts on the India-China border in Himachal Pradesh and reviewed the “operational preparedness”. The Indian Army is conducting similar review of its preparedness in the eastern sector of the disputed boundary between India and China too.

Beijing too on Monday echoed New Delhi, with Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the military officials of the two sides had discussed India-China border area situation and agreed to implement important consensus reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, not to turn differences into disputes, work together to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas to create favourable atmosphere for stable development of bilateral relations.