The head of the Indian Army, General Manoj Pande expressed his hope on Friday that the military standoff with China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the eastern Ladakh region would be resolved “only through diplomacy and dialogue”.
“That is what the aim and endeavor is,” Pande said at a media gathering hosted by the India Today group in New Delhi.
Pande noted that the two nations have been able to achieve troop disengagement and de-escalation in the north and south of Pangong Tso and the Gogra Hot-Springs area through talks at military commander level, as well as through diplomatic and political consultations.
He added that India’s deployment of forces and alertness will continue to remain at a “high-level” until complete disengagement and de-escalation of forces in the region.
Pande described the present situation at the LAC as being “stable”, highlighting the fact that Indian forces were keeping a “very close watch” on the situation.
“As far as the deployment of forces by [China] is concerned, there has been no significant reduction in numbers,” he stated.
China Boosts Infrastructure Development Along LAC
The four-star Indian general noted that infrastructure development by China along the LAC was taking place at a “very hectic pace”, including improvement of road infrastructure, highways, airfields or heliports.
“These are major developments which we will need to take a note of, especially in the context of [China's] ability to mobilize troops,” the Indian Army chief said.
He said that Indian forces also had a “very robust deployment” and “high preparedness levels” all along the LAC from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
“I must also mention that we have very adequate reserves to deal with any contingencies. With the infusion of new technologies, new weapons systems, our capability development is an ongoing endeavor,” said Pande.
He added that New Delhi is also focusing on developing its border infrastructure.
Recently, the Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) in New Delhi this month.
Jaishankar described the present state of relations between India and China as “abnormal” because of the ongoing standoff.