Rise of China, unsettled borders will be most formidable challenge for India: CDS Gen Chauhan

The most significant threat facing India and its armed forces in the near future, according to Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, is the country’s expanding influence and unresolved boundary disputes with China.

At the Third Strategic and Security Dialogue on China’s Rise and Its Implications for the World, General Chauhan stressed the importance of managing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) strategically at all places of contention regarding the disputed borders.

According to General Chauhan, India’s border disputes with its neighbors have given rise to phrases like Actual Ground Position Line, Line of Actual Control, and Line of Control.

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“The unsettled borders with China and the rise of China will remain the most formidable challenge that India and the Indian armed forces will face in the foreseeable future,” the Chief of Defence Staff said.

He said the armed forces need to maintain the legitimacy of India’s claims during peacetime on these disputed borders, which will require “very astute handling of the PLA at all the friction points, calibrated firmness, and both sides to operate within the ambit of agreed rules of engagement”.

The top commander further said that like all disputed borders, there will be a tendency by the adversary to create new facts or markers, toponymy (the study of place names), cartographic aggression, or to create a new narrative.

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“This again will have to be countered collectively by all of us at all levels, which includes academicians, thinkers, and strategists,” the Chief of Defence Staff said.

“Similarly, in an increasingly inter-connected world, Sino-India relations cannot be viewed in a binary kind of perspective. The rise of China affects other nations as well, and we must look at like-minded nations for an equitable balance while remaining cognisant of the fact that one must be prepared to fight its own battle,” the Chief of Defence Staff said.

Speaking about the challenges related to technology, General Chauhan said as technology emerges as the new currency of power, there is a tendency of nations to deny competitors.

“Technology denial regimes existed in the past, but what we are witnessing now is a race to retain technological edge. India cannot afford the emergence of a major technological gap between us and our immediate adversaries, and that would be fatal for us,” the Chief of Defence Staff said.

He said this “battle of increasing technological gap” has to be fought not only by soldiers but also by academics, scientists, and everyone as a nation together.

General Chauhan also spoke about the challenge of rising fragility and the outcome of political, social, and economic stability in the immediate neighbourhood.

“India seems to be the only island of stability in a sea of turmoil and turbulence. Political, social, and economic instability in countries in our immediate neighbourhood make them vulnerable to foreign influence,” he said.

General Chauhan further said adversaries in the past have taken advantage of this situation, thereby increasing India’s vulnerability and security problems, which is a major security challenge.

General Chauhan referred to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement wherein he had said that there is more to the Sino-India relations than the border disputes.

(With agency inputs)