New Delhi: According to Union minister of state for transport and highways V.K. Singh, India has transgressed the Line of Actual Control more times than China has, but the government does not announce it each time.
Singh, a former four-star general in the Indian Army who has serves as army chief, said that the official border with China has never been demarcated. Both countries, The Hindu quoted him as saying, have crossed their own perceptions of the LAC several times.
“…none of you come to know how many times we have transgressed as per our perception. Chinese media does not cover it,” Singh said. “Let me assure you, if China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times.”
China has been attempting to expand the area under its control over time, Singh said, by camping on new land and strengthening forces there. Then, after negotiations, it would go back slightly. “But the present government has ensured that this does not happen,” he continued.
Also read: In 2021, India’s Military Faces Myriad Challenges
When China transgressed the LAC in at eastern Ladakh in 2020, according to Singh, India had threatened to respond in equal measure. “Today, China is under pressure, since we are sitting at places (along the border), where it does not like,” he said.
According to Singh, the situation at the LAC is under control. “The Chinese do understand that if something goes wrong, India is in a position to hit back,” he said, claiming that the ban on Chinese apps and boycott of good had hit China hard.
Since early May 2020, soldiers of both countries have been at a stand-off at multiple points in eastern Ladakh. The current tensions have witnessed fatalities, as well as firearms being used at the LAC for the first time in decades.