Describing the disengagement of Chinese and Indian troops at Pangong Tso in Ladakh as “a win-win situation… a very good outcome” where “both sides should feel they have achieved something,” Army chief General MM Naravane Wednesday said “we have our strategies in place” to resolve “some issues that remain such as the area of Depsang… and pending issues in other areas along our northern borders”.
Acknowledging there is a “trust deficit” between the two sides, General Naravane said: “We still have a long way to go. We now have to move on to the stage of de-escalation. And after that, moving back of the troops and the de-induction of the troops which went to the higher reaches… We have to be wary… we will be very cautious… there is a trust deficit… unless that trust deficit is removed, we will, of course, continue to be wary, keep watching whatever movements happen on either side of the LAC. But I think at the end of the day, we have achieved a lot.”
He made these remarks while responding to questions during a webinar organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).
The Army chief said China's “habit of creeping power” and its strategy in the South China Sea, of achieving its objectives without firing shots, would not work with India.
“China has been in the habit of creeping power, making very small, incremental changes wherein each change by itself was not very big or worthy of a very strong reaction. And…
