'China is unwilling to restore the status quo ante of April 2020.' 'India will have to weigh its options based on this premise.'
'These tactics are particularly evident in China's pursuit of its territorial and maritime claims in the South and East China Seas as well as along its border with India and Bhutan'
By sensitising the entire nation of this unprovoked incursion and the resultant mood of anger among Indians, the media had set into motion rapid official and diplomatic developments not only in New Delhi but also in Beijing, writes Air Marshal (retd) Bhushan Gokhale.
A day after rejecting any incursion by its troops in India's Ladakh region, China said both countries should work together to resolve the boundary dispute to "create good conditions for the sound development of bilateral relations".
At a time when tensions are high over the repeated ceasefire violations perpetrated by Pakistan's troops at the Line of Control and China's incursions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the country's top military officers at the defence ministry.
China is emboldened to meddle in Sikkim after Tawang district did not fall in the itinerary of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told media persons. Blaming the aggression on the 'weak-kneed foreign policy' of the United Progressive Alliance, first in Arunachal Pradesh and now in Sikkim, the party said China should be told in clear terms that India will not tolerate any further incursions.
China on Monday dodged a direct response to reports of presence of the People's Liberation Army's troops at a forward post in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and said it "regretted" that the media keeps "popping up" stories of incursions into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control.
India has the ability in all respects to be a great power and address our security challenges in the best national interests, says Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
'The possibility of another incursion, a probing manoeuvre in areas where Indian defences are vulnerable cannot be ruled out.'
India and China are trying to develop effective mechanisms to prevent the "embarrassing" face-offs between their troops along the "disputed" points of the Line of Actual Control, Defence Minister A K Antony said in New Delhi on Friday.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said Saturday's incident along the LoC was an outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "flip-flops and somersaults" on Pakistan.
Both India and China have realised that if border incursions keep reoccurring, other issues of mutual interest will remain unstable. Sheela Bhatt reports
Narrowing of differences on competing territorial claims along the un-demarcated LAC might take weeks, if not months, of hard-nosed negotiations. Without some give and take on both sides, the impasse will be hard to resolve, observes Virendra Kapoor.
Against the backdrop of the war of words with China over Arunachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday, that India will "tackle" the boundary question with the neighbouring country bilaterally. Singh said this to a delegation from Arunachal Pradesh led by Chief Minister Dorji Khandu which requested him to review the defence strategy for the eastern sector in view of incursions by Chinese troops and other developments.
It was a scene of bonhomie as the border personnel of India and China met to mark the Republic Day in Chushul belt along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, putting behind the tension over recent incursions by the People's Liberation Army in the area.
Reacting strongly to reports that China has in its recent map shown Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, India on Saturday said "cartographic depictions" do not change reality on the ground and asserted that Arunachal was an integral part of the country.
The Chinese government has stirred yet another controversy even as Vice President Hamid Ansari is in Beijing to mark 60 years of the Panchsheel agreement. In a recent map, China has shown Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.
Unfazed by the 'sit-in' by the Chinese border guards at Demchok in Ladakh that led to a face-off with Indian troops earlier this week, Army engineers have finished the work for laying a water pipeline for irrigation purpose for local villagers in Ladakh division.
Singh said this is a moment where we must stand together as a nation and be united in our response to this brazen threat.
Nyoma has been developed with an aim to connect the remote areas of Ladakh region to the mainland. This would also ensure that movements in the area continue when the road traffic gets affected, during the harsh winters besides enabling improved communication network in the region, facilitating economical ferrying of supplies as well as promotion of tourism to the general area.
Hours after United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by her son Rahul Gandhi, started their five-day China visit, the Bhartiya Janata Party slammed the Communist country for staking its claim over Arunachal Pradesh. Addressing newsmen at the party headquarters, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy accused the Chinese of infiltrating the Arunachal Pradesh border 140 times and encroaching on 40,000 sq kilometers of land.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on a three-day visit during which India and China are expected to ink several key pacts, including an agreement on a mechanism to prevent incursions by Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control.
On the eve of his visit to China, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday made it clear that Arunachal Pradesh is not disputed and that India will not give up its right over it.Talking to reporters in Chennai, he acknowledged that Chinese troops have been indulging in incursions and that Indian security forces had been asked to be alert and maintain vigil along the border to stop such intrusions."We have a democratically-elected government there," he said.
'Hindus bathe with lakhs of people, but these Hindutvawadis were standing alone in the Ganges. Even Rajnath Singh and Yogi Adityanath did not find a place'
In his dare, the Congress president asked the PM to reduce the spiralling fuel prices in the country or face a nationwide stir by his party.
Setting up Chinese Industrial Parks in India, increased access to Indian products to bridge the ballooning trade deficit besides border issues was expected to figure in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
Operationalisation of a new border defence agreement to deal with recurring troop incursions along the LAC besides improving defence ties, is expected to top the agenda of General Bikram Singh as he starts a rare visit by an Indian army chief to China from Wednesday.
With China reacting sharply to government's plans to construct a border road in Arunachal Pradesh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday sent a strong message, asserting that no one can warn India.
Hours after withdrawing from the Chumar region in Ladakh, Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers were on Friday reported to have crossed into Indian territory again and stationed themselves on a hillock.
The tearing hurry to form theatre commands has to be replaced by a balanced and deliberate approach. We need to accept that this process will take time if executed correctly and in the best interests of the Indian armed forces, argues Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
'Our strategy should be to 'hold the line' in the north on the Sino-Indian land frontier, but maintain and, if possible, enlarge India's current edge in the maritime south.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday told his military commanders that he saw a "rare" possibility of a full scale war but asked them to be ready for "invisible" enemy and challenges which will be "less predictable" in a changing world.
'If the almost literally heart-stopping Suez block has any positive outcome, it is to be hoped that it will accelerate the setting up of a fab (perhaps Taiwanese) in India,' asserts Rajeev Srinivasan.
Silicon Valley can be replicated, but this will only be achieved so long as fresh talent is welcomed by both our countries - a move that will surely spark a billion ideas and discoveries.
New Delhi must clearly demonstrate to Beijing that China will pay a price for its relentless strategic undermining of India, says Ajai Shukla.
'If the Bangladesh-China relationship strengthens further, it can only be to India's detriment,' notes Vice Admiral Premvir Das.
It would be a chance lost if India cannot learn from and lean more on China to kick-start trade, infrastructure programmes, and increased ties, says Ravi Agrawal
China's strong manufacturing base and India's software and scientific skills had massive potential both as a production base and for creating a consumer market.
Ceasefire violations by Pakistan Rangers continued on Thursday with 60 Indian border outposts and over 80 villages coming under mortar shelling and firing in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts along the International Border.
This is the first time such a bilateral dialogue focusing on Central Asia where the two countries have long and historical ties was held, reflecting deepening diplomatic engagement between the two neighbours even as they try to sort out friction resulting from recent reported incursions by Chinese troops along the Ladakh border
