The tension between China and India along the border is still on the rise. On July 24, the Chinese Defense Ministry warned India to “abandon any illusions” about China’s determination to defend its territory.
As the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is approaching, China’s Defense Ministry held a special conference in Beijing. Addressing the border stand-off between China and India, Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian made a detailed and strong reply.
In the beginning, Wu maintained that the Indian troops have illegally crossed into Doklam in Chinese territory, while China’s road construction in this region was completely legitimate. He reiterated that the India’s trespassing “seriously damaged China’s sovereignty and violated the basic norms of international law.”
Thus, Wu “strongly urged” India to withdraw its troops immediately. “China’s determination to defend its sovereignty and territory remains unswervingly strong,” he said. “China will safeguard its territory, sovereignty and security interests at all costs.”
Regarding the PLA’s next step, Wu revealed that “The PLA along the border has carried out emergency measures in the very location and will further enhance targeted deployment and training.”
To emphasis China’s “unswervingly strong” resolution, Wu finally added:
India should not take any chances and should abandon any illusions it may harbor. The 90-year history of the PLA has shown that Chinese military’s capacity keeps increasing… It is easier to shake the mountains than to shake the PLA.
However, faced with China’s harsh attitude, India hasn’t shown any sign of backing off either. On July 25, Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that Indian armed forces are “reasonably and sufficiently equipped.”
As The Economic Times reported, Jaitley made the comment above when being questioned by opposition members. Earlier research claimed that the Indian Army was facing “a critical shortage of ammunition that can last just 10 days of war.” In response, Jaitley maintained that the research was based on data from 2013 and since then “significant progress has been made.”
Charlotte Gao holds a MA degree in Asian Studies. Her research interests center around East Asian topics. She has worked in the past as a news editor, reporter, and writer for multiple traditional, online, and new media outlets.