In a speech delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force unit recently, the president called upon the PLA to be “combat ready” during China’s upcoming Spring Festival holidays. The remarks come in response to the failure of the ninth round of the India-China border de-escalation talks to yield any significant changes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
“During the Spring Festival, the entire army must strengthen combat readiness on duty to guard national security and the happiness and tranquillity of the people,” Xi said in his speech to the unit stationed in southwest China’s Guizhou province.
The Spring Festival Holidays, also known as the Chinese New Year, will be held from February 11-17, and represent the most auspicious time of the Chinese calendar, during which hundreds of millions of people travel back home to celebrate. During this period, ministries and government departments are either on holiday or work with reduced staff.
In this regard, according to “experts” cited by the Chinese state-owned media house Global Times, “other militaries should not have the illusion that they can make provocative moves during the holidays without meeting PLA’s countermeasures”. Although who the “other militaries” are was not clarified, the remarks assume significance because India and China have long been engaging in talks to de-escalate the situation at the shared Line of Actual Control (LAC). The ninth and most recent round of the talks was held at the end of January. However, like the previous rounds, the latest meeting may not yield a significant positive outcome, Indian Army officials said. They did, however, add that the dialogue has to go on.
To further add fuel to the fire, while responding to questions from the local media on Sunday, Indian Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Gen V K Singh (retd) said, “…none of you come to know how many times we have transgressed as per our perception. We don’t announce it. Chinese media does not cover it… Let me assure you, if China has transgressed ten times, we must have done it at least 50 times, as per our perception.”
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said: “This is an unwitting confession by the Indian side. For a long time, the Indian side has conducted frequent acts of trespass in the border area in an attempt to encroach on China’s territory and constantly created disputes and frictions, which is the root cause of the tensions at the China-India border.”
If Xi’s remarks are indeed directly intended for India, it portends the worsening of the situation in a region that has already been a continuous source of conflict. Following the military escalation in May, after two separate skirmishes between Indian and Chinese forces in Pangong Tso Lake in Eastern Ladakh and at the Naku La pass in Northern Sikkim, soldiers from both sides were spotted camping near several disputed areas, with each side regularly accusing the other of trespassing. Both armies have since kept a close eye on activity along the LAC, and the most recent remarks from both sides only indicate that the situation will not improve any time soon.
Xi Jinping Asks PLA to Be “Combat Ready” As Talks With India Fail
After the failure of talks to de-escalate tensions along the LAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the People’s Liberation Army to be “combat ready” to “guard national security”.
February 9, 2021
SOURCE: XINHUA