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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (Image: PTI)
When asked if India would take a tough stand against China, Rajnath Singh, in an interview with news agency ANI said that it was their government’s prerogative to maintain cordial relations with neighbouring countries.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that talks were on with China on border issues between the two nations and he hoped for a resolution. When asked if India would take a tough stand against China, Singh, in an interview with news agency ANI said that it was their government’s prerogative to maintain cordial relations with neighbouring countries.
When asked if China has occupied any piece of Indian land, Singh said, “I don’t think so. Commander-level talks are going on between India and China. There are some issues, some date back to 2013, which need to be resolved. India and China are holding talks with the belief that we will reach a resolution.”
#WATCH | On being asked if China has occupied any piece of Indian land, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, “…I don’t think so. Commander-level talks are going on between India and China. There are some issues, some date back to 2013, which need to be resolved. India and China… pic.twitter.com/0wFcfMpO1f— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2024
On reports of China constructing a ‘model village’ and defence posts on the Chinese side of LAC and renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, the Defence Minister said, “On land falling on Chinese side of LAC, if some construction is done or some posts are built. What can I do about that? They can do it on that side of LAC and we can do it on this side of the LAC. They develop on their side, we on our side, but peace should be maintained between the two countries, and efforts for this should be made by both India and China.”
#WATCH | On reports of China constructing a ‘model village’ and defence posts on the Chinese side of LAC & renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, “On land falling on Chinese side of LAC, if some construction is done or some posts are built.… pic.twitter.com/G4oH9ulTee— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2024
On Tuesday, Singh slammed China for changing the names of several parts of Northeast’s Arunachal Pradesh, adding he wondered what would be China’s reaction if India made a similar attempt and started calling those areas of the neighbouring its territory.
Speaking at a rally at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh East Constituency ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Singh said China’s move to change the names of 30 places in the northeastern state will “not change the ground reality”.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, he asserted. I want to ask China if we change the names of various states of the neighbouring country, will those be parts of our territory? Because of such activities, the relation between India and China will deteriorate,” Singh said.