Chinese establishment must be "receptive to change" for peace, tranquility in the region, says former Army chief Naravane
Dec 14, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 14 : Political establishment in China has to be "receptive to change" if they really want peace and tranquillity in the region, said General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Indian Army chief in a podcast with ANI.
"It has to be the political establishment which has to be receptive to change and should realise that if they really want peace and tranquillity in the region, and if they want China and India to re-emerge as an economic hub that we were in the 18th century. In the 18th century, it was China and India which contributed 80 per cent of the world's GDP." Naravane said while speaking with ANI editor Smita Prakash.
Naravane's response was in reply to a question on whether the Chinese army is receptive to change.
Adding to that, Naravane further said, "So if you want to regain that position in the future then it would be better if China and India are friends rather than having this competition and confrontation every now and then."
Naravane said it is better to have a stable and peaceful border rather than continuing to have "small incidents" every now and then, which becomes a setback to overall relations.
The former Army chief's views assume importance as he was the Army chief when the Galwan skirmish took place in the summer of 2020, where both sides suffered casualties.
As recently as last week, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang Sector.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang Sector on December 9 (Friday) and unilaterally change the status quo but they went back to their locations due to timely intervention of Indian military commanders.
Giving a statement in the Rajya Sabha, the Defence Minister assured the Upper House that "our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it".
He further said "the scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides", and clarified that "there are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side".
The clash near Yangtse along the LAC in the sensitive sector took place amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh.
