India sparked the fury of China after one of its top generals warned Beijing is considered the “most formidable challenge” New Delhi will face for years to come.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan earlier this week said he expected border tensions with Beijing to pose a considerable concern for his country for the “foreseeable future.”
The Indian Army is estimated to have 150,000 to 200,000 personnel deployed along the 3,488-kilometre border with China.
Of those soldiers, 50,000 are believed to be stationed in the Eastern Ladakh region which has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between the two nations since 2020.
During a speech at a university in Pune on Monday, General Chauhan said: “The unsettled borders with China and the rise of China will remain the most formidable challenge that India and Indian armed forces will face in the foreseeable future.
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The People’s Liberation Army has also proceeded to move military personnel around, with up to 200,000 soldiers now stationed in the Tibet and Xinjiang military regions.
Beijing hit out at India’s partial redeployment of soldiers to the Arunachal Pradesh area following the inauguration of the Sela Tunnel – which connects the region to Assam.
The People’s Republic has long opposed the existence of the region, claiming Arunachal Pradesh is an “inherent part of China’s territory.”
Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, the spokesman of the Ministry of National Defence, said: “Zangnan is China’s inherent territory, and China never recognises and firmly opposes India’s illegal establishment of the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh.’
“We require the Indian side to cease any action that may complicate the boundary question, and earnestly maintain peace and stability in the border areas.”
