As New Delhi and Beijing deliberated on the tension under the Real Control Line,
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that countries’ military could be subject to discussion, but added that India was far ahead” of China in terms of soft power.
“Whenever there is a situation in the LAC [Line of Actual Control], the most obvious outcome is a comparison between India and China’s military strength,” Singh said. “There might be a significant dispute over who owns more military assets, but there is no room for uncertainty when it comes to soft power. India is well ahead of China when it comes to leading the world with ideas,” said Rajnath Singh
Hailing the Indian Armed Forces for their successes in the Ladakh area of the Line of Actual Power. “Our forces have shown exemplary courage and remarkable fortitude in these testing times,” Singh said. “We fought the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] with the greatest courage and forced them to return. The future generations of this country will be proud of what our powers have done this year.”
He also attacked China and Pakistan, calling for uninstigated violence at the boundaries of the region. “The unprovoked aggression against our Himalayan borders is a reminder of how the world is changing, how existing agreements are being challenged, how power is being asserted not just in the Himalayas, but across the Indo-Pacific,” Singh said.
Singling out Pakistan for cross-border terrorism, the Minister of Defense said India had faced cross-border terrorism, but had fought it alone. “[We] fought the scourge alone even when there was no one to support us but later they understood that we were right that Pakistan was the fountain of terrorism,” he said.
Tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control began with initial scuffles that lead to a war – without weapons – in June that saw 20 Indian soldiers killed. Beijing, however, refused to release the amount of fatalities on its side. Both India and China have accused each other of entering opposing territories and shooting bullets for the first time in 45 years.
