Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday asserted that the country would not compromise on the issue of its territory if case any nation tries to push it into a corner or an uncomfortable zone.
Stating that the country's national security is a challenge, but the nation is capable of guarding its borders, the minister said: "We have today the image of the country which is willing to do what it takes to defend its national security. It (India) is a very forbearing country, a patient country. It is not a country that goes around picking fights with other people."
"But it is a country that will not be pushed out. This is a country that will not allow its basic bottom lines to be crossed," the Indian foreign minister stressed.
The top Indian diplomat was speaking at a public event, hosted by Symbiosis International University in Pune in Maharashtra state.
His remarks come at a time as the opposition Congress party has raised questions over the government's stance on the ongoing military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
India and China have been engaged in a longstanding border row since May 2020, when soldiers of the two countries became embroiled in a series of face-offs and skirmishes at the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, Galwan Valley, and other locations, including Gogra-Hot Springs.
Following commander-level talks between the two sides, disengagement took place from Pangong Lake, and Gogra, and Galwan. However, Demchok and Depsang are two flashpoints remaining. Despite multiple rounds, the talks have ended in a stalemate.
Jaishankar also stated that earlier, Pakistan had been testing India's resolve on the western border, and now it's China which is testing its patience on the northern frontier.
"In the last few years, we have been tested for a long time on our western border. I think things are a little different now and everyone will agree. Few things had happened in 2016 and 2019 and we have been tested and we are being tested on our northern borders," he said.
This week, the two Asian giants discussed proposals to withdraw their troops from the remaining friction areas near the border with Ladakh in what was their first physical meeting since 2020 in Beijing.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the two sides had reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of India-China border areas.
"[Both] discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner, which would help in restoration of peace and tranquility along the LAC in western sector and create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations," it added.