Talking about the constant friction with two nuclear-armed nations, he said India faces several external security challenges, Gen Rawat said “The increasingly acting in collusion, not only threatens our national integrity and strategic cohesion, but with potential for escalation, poses an omnipresent danger of regional strategic instability.”

“Our proactive actions and strong posture was instrumental in dissuading China from making any further attempts to alter the Status Quo in Ladakh,” said Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria

With the eighth round of senior military commander talks between India and China underway at Chushul in an effort to resolve the ongoing standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat says “India will not accept any `shifting’ of LAC. On the unprovoked tactical military actions, which were spiralling into a larger conflict, in his webinar address during the National Defence College (NDC) New Delhi, Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, the CDS said “these cannot be discounted.”

Talking about the constant friction with two nuclear-armed nations, he said India faces several external security challenges, Gen Rawat said “The increasingly acting in collusion, not only threatens our national integrity and strategic cohesion, but with potential for escalation, poses an omnipresent danger of regional strategic instability.”

The Situation In Eastern Ladakh

According to Gen Rawat, the situation there remains tense, and for its misadventures, the Chinese PLA is facing “unanticipated consequences”, due to the strong and firm response by the Indian Army.

Corps Commander Talks

The 8th round of talks started today on the Indian side at Chushul at 09.30 am. The focus of the talks from the Indian side is disengagement across entire Eastern Ladakh.

As has been reported earlier, after the Indian Army occupied several dominating features on the South Bank of Pangong Tso in August, the Chinese side has been avoiding the other friction areas and has been insisting for discussing South Bank first.

Today’s talks are being led by Lt Gen PGK Menon who last month took over as the 14 Corps Commander. He has attended the last two rounds of talks.

It has been reported earlier, the two countries have made preparations for maintaining thousands of troops and heavy military equipment along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, under extreme weather conditions and high altitude.

The two sides have already decided not to send more troops on the frontline and also to refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground. At the end of the sixth round of talks, these decisions were taken, however, since there has been no progress made on the ground.

It all started in early May when PLA ingressed in several locations held by the Indian side. And there have been seven round of talks both at the military as well as the diplomatic level and India has been focusing on the pullback and complete disengagement and de-escalation along the LAC.

In June during a violent clash at Galwan valley, India lost 20 personnel lost their lives. In over four decades, this was first time ever that there were combat deaths on the LAC in over four decades. Also, this was the first time that on the South Bank, bullets were fired in the air by both sides.