The Chinese President Xi Jinping has raked up a fresh controversy. According to reports, Jinping has asked the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China to prepare for a war with India.
While visiting a military base in Guangdong province on October 13 (Tuesday), the Chinese President told the troops to “put all (their) minds and energy on preparing for war,” reported CNN.
The remarks were made by XI while inspecting the Marine Corps of PLA in Chaozhou City, added CNN citing Chinese news agency Xinhua. As reported by Xinhua, Xi has ordered the PLA to “maintain a state of high alert” and called on them to be “absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable”.
Xi's was in Guangdong to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone established in 1980. The Guangdong SEZ has played an important role in shaping China's economy and making it the second-largest in the world.
The statement by the Chinese President comes at a time when India and China are locked in a border standoff at Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. On Tuesday both the nations agreed to focus on a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible after holding the 7th Corps Commander level talks which lasted for 11 hours.
A joint statement said, “Both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible,” also added the statement. “Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”
“On 12 October, the 7th round of Senior Commanders meeting of India and China was held in Chushul. The two sides had a sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas. They were of the view that these discussions were positive, constructive and had enhanced understanding of each other's positions,” it added.
Just yesterday (October 13, 2020) China had raked up a controversy saying it does not recognise “illegally established” Union Territory of Ladakh. The remark came a day after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 44 strategic bridges in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking offence to the infrastructure development, the Chinese foreign ministry said, “Indian side has been ramping up infrastructure development along the border and stepping up military deployment, that is the root cause of the tension between the two sides.”
The Chinese foreign ministry went on to say that it does not recognise the Union Territory of Ladakh “illegally established” by India, and the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
It further added, “For some time, the Indian side has been ramping up infrastructure development along the border and stepping up military deployment, that is the root cause of the tension between the two sides. China asks the Indian side to earnestly implement the consensus between the two sides and refrain from taking actions that might escalate the situation and take concrete measures to safeguard peace and tranquillity along the border.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday dedicated 44 bridges built in the border areas of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir to the nation. The inauguration was done through video-conferencing.
