Mutual distrust due to China’s action says Army Chief Gen MM Naravane

New Delhi: China’s increasing footprint in the neighbourhood and its attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the disputed border has created an environment of confrontation and mutual distrust, and India needs to deliver on regional connectivity, army chief Gen MM Naravane has said, suggesting the creation of an apex body to coordinate multi-agency efforts in the North East.

The army chief said that regional instability has been created due to the Chinese attempts to exert power and dominate smaller nations and its rivalry with the US, which is determined to protect allies and partners. “The regional security environment is characterised by Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, its hostility towards weaker nations and relentless drive to create regional dependencies through initiatives like the BRI. The resultant Sino-US rivalry has created regional imbalances and instability,” Gen Naravane said in an address at the United Services Institution annual seminar. He mentioned the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project.