Chinese incursion into Indian territory increased

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

The number of transgressions by the Chinese Army into the Indian territory rose to 426 in 2017 from the 273 in 2016, the government said in parliament on Monday.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said the transgressions have occurred due to the differing perception of the two counties of the Line of Actual Control.

“In the year 2017, the number of transgressions was 426 as against 273 in the year 2016,” he said.

The minister said the government takes up incidents of transgressions with the Chinese side through an established mechanism.

India and China share a nearly 4,000 km-long border.

Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam since June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam. The face-off had ended on August 28.

In December, a Chinese road construction team had come nearly one kilometre into the Indian territory in Upper Siangin, Arunachal Pradesh, but went back after they were told to do so by the Indian security personnel.

Army Chief Bipin Rawat had said last month that the time has come for the country to shift focus from the western frontier to the northern one.

To a separate question, Bhamre said China’s defence budget is larger than the defence budget of India.

He said the budgetary allocations for defence depend on the size of the economy.

Referring to the situation on the northern border, he said the Indian Army is fully seized of the military needs of the country.

“Our defence strategy and doctrines are constantly refined keeping in view the changing security paradigms in our immediate and extended neighbourhood and the world at large,” he said.

On cyber warfare, he said the Army has evolved a dynamic mechanism for “holistic cyber defence” of its networks.

nb–pti