External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that India’s border with China has become “more alive,” requiring a much greater and more sustained commitment of Indian troops. Addressing the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi, the minister stated that India has significantly enhanced its military capabilities and infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the past decade.
Jaishankar remarked that the frequency of news regarding new tunnels, bridges, and airfields being commissioned reflects a clear shift in border management. “Our capability to sustain ourselves and deploy forces along that border has improved. I would say it has improved in a very significant way,” he told attendees. He argued that while past administrations discussed such projects, the physical infrastructure remained largely neglected until about ten years ago.
The minister’s comments arrive during ongoing efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to normalize diplomatic relations, which were severely strained following a deadly clash in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June 2020. Ties remained frosty for over four years until a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024 began the process of repairing the relationship.
Addressing the economic disparity between the two nations, Jaishankar reflected on the 1980s, noting that the Indian and Chinese economies were comparable in size when Rajiv Gandhi visited China in 1988. He stated that China pursued aggressive modernization and industrialization during that decade, while India “simply missed the bus.” Although India introduced economic reforms in the 1990s, he suggested they were not carried through with the necessary consistency. He emphasized that the current government is now focusing on addressing these gaps through targeted efforts in manufacturing and industrialization.
Key facts
- The India-China border is now described by the minister as "more alive," necessitating sustained troop deployment.
- Military capabilities and border infrastructure, including tunnels and airfields, have seen marked improvements in the last decade.
- Bilateral relations began to thaw following a meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping in October 2024.
- Jaishankar noted that in 1988, the Indian and Chinese economies were approximately the same size.
Background
Relations between India and China reached a significant low point following a violent military standoff in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which resulted in casualties for both Indian and Chinese forces.
Source: Times of India, Hindustan Times
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