China bound to remain a threat in future, says army vicechief Chand
Army’s vice-chief Lieutenant General Sarath Chand on Tuesday underlined that China was bound to remain a threat to India’s security “in the years ahead”.
Chand’s comments came a day after China’s foreign minister Wang Yi blamed India for triggering the border standoff at Doklam, calling on New Delhi to withdraw its troops to resolve the dispute.
“On the north, we have China which has a large landmass, more resources and the largest standing army. Despite the Himalayas between us, China is bound to be a threat for us in the years ahead,” he said at a seminar on fast-tracking indigenisation, organised jointly by the defence ministry and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Chand described Pakistan as a country with a smaller economy that engaged India at the sub conventional level as it suited “its all-weather friend China”.
Referring to General Bipin Rawat’s recent comments on the force being fully ready for a two and a half front war, Chand said the army chief’s comments weren’t aimed at whipping up “war hysteria” and “he was merely stating a fact.”
Last week, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had said India would hold talks with China on the border standoff only after both sides withdrew their troops. “If China unilaterally changes the status quo of the tri-junction point between China, India and Bhutan, it will pose a challenge to our security,” she had told the Rajya Sabha.