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New Delhi: Amid multiple provocative activities by the Chinese Air Force on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) ahead of the military talks, a senior military veteran on Sunday said ‘India’s message to China is strong’.
“Chinese army has been strengthening their position in the areas they have occupied. From the fact that they have strengthened their position, it seems unlikely that they will go back. We can certainly expect some kind of disengagement. Other issues may take some more time,” said Major General SB Asthana (Retd).
Further speaking on India giving a strong message to China, he said, “Both sides are giving strong messages. In this manner, the Chinese have flown aircraft where they are not supposed to be. And I think we should be talking of areas as no-fly zones, especially in areas where we are talking and where the recent incursion took place. So, therefore, under these circumstances, we are also quite ready in a manner that there is an array of radars. There is a very good surveillance system and air defence system. And the Chinese army if they try what they had been trying in the South China Sea and Taiwan, they will certainly be dealt with by the professional air force (India). So it’s slightly different messaging.”
India and China are holding the 16th round of Corps Commander talks and the Chinese Air Force fighter jets provoked India on multiple occasions just before it.
According to Defence sources, talks would be held with the objective of discussing disengagement from friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
Reacting to Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Indian Air Force responding to People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jets flying over borders, Asthana said, “Chinese have a strategy of incremental encroachment. Encroachment is not just limited to land but also to information, cyber, digital, and economic domains. So Air Force encroachment is also a part of it which they are carrying out in Taiwan. But here in India, you are meeting a professional Air Force. Perhaps a Taiwan-like strategy will not work here. Also, India has strengthened its grid and India’s messaging is also strong.”
According to him, India’s crackdown on some of the economic defaulters who have a connection with the Chinese is also a strong message to China.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari today said whenever the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jets come too close to the border, the Indian Air Force immediately responds by scrambling its combat aircraft to tackle the situation.
“Chinese aircraft activity is closely monitored by us. Whenever we see Chinese aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft coming too close to the LAC, we take appropriate measures by scrambling or putting our aircraft on higher alert. This has deterred them quite a lot,” Chaudhari told ANI in an interview.
Asked why the Chinese Air Force was trying to provoke India just ahead of talks, he said, “I cannot point to any particular reason why they are doing it but we are monitoring it and we take immediate action by scrambling our fighter jets there.”
