Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024

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NEW DELHI: India has freed nearly 10,000 soldiers from its western border to guard its 532-km border with China in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, warned on Thursday of “justified actions” to preserve its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
What

  • India has freed up 10,000 soldiers from its western border to strengthen its border with China, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, quoting “senior Indian officials who didn’t want to be named because discussions are private”.
  • In addition, an existing contingent of 9,000 soldiers, already designated to the China border, will be brought under the newly created fighting command, the report added.
  • The combined force, it said, will guard a 532 km stretch of the border in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
  • The Indian Army and defence ministry declined to comment.

A ‘befitting reply’ promise

  • Defence minister Rajnath Singh, at an event hosted by a TV channel, said: “We are working continuously towards keeping the morale of the soldiers high… They are equipped, capable and ready to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on India.”

Agreements broken: Jaishankar

  • In Japan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said China has not observed longstanding written agreements with India.
  • “Ideally, we would assume that everybody would say, okay, things are changing, but let’s keep it as stable as we can,” he said.
  • “Unfortunately, that’s not what we have seen in the last decade of our own experience in the case of China, for example, is between 1975 and 2020, which is really 45 years, there was no bloodshed on the border, and in 2020, [that] changed,” he said.
  • “We can disagree on many things, but when a country actually sort of does not observe written agreements with a neighbour, I think, you have caused … because … then raises a question mark about the stability of the relationship and frankly, about intentions,” Jaishankar said in response to a question.
  • He also spoke about how he expected a change in Russia’s direction towards the rest of the world and it may likely want multiple options in Asia.

Meanwhile

  • China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Thursday warned of “justified actions” to defend its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, and chided the US for not implementing its commitments to improve bilateral ties.



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