‘Learnt Lessons From 1962 China War, Forces Are Prepared’: Jaitley

Jaitley’s statement comes after Chinese-run media called the Indian government as “naïve” as it was in 1962.

“Fifty-five years have passed, but the Indian government is as naïve as it ever was.”

(Photo: Rhythum Seth/The Quint)

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday asserted that the Indian armed forces are strong enough to meet any challenge to the country’s security as he underlined that lessons have been learnt from the 1962 war.

“I agree that some challenges are still there. Some people are targeting our country’s sovereignty and integrity. But I am fully confident that our brave soldiers have the capability to keep our country secure, may it be challenges on the eastern border or the western border,” he said.

Jaitley’s statements came a day after Chinese-run media Global Times released a scathing editorial, likening the current Indian government to that of Jawaharlal Nehru’s 1962 government – saying both governments are naive to believe China will not wage a war.

Fifty-five years have passed, but the Indian government is as naïve as it ever was.

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‘India as Naive as It was in 1962’: Global Times

The editorial was accompanied by a video of the Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin, who echoes the editorial published in the state-run medium.

Also Read: View From Bhutan: Indian and Chinese Media Need to Calm Down

The editorial opens with the statement “Of course China doesn't want to risk a war and hopes that peace could return”, but goes on to say that should India not back down, war will be an inevitable scenario.

Recalling the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the editorial states how China did not back down from waging war at a time when the country was victim to a spate of natural disasters and domestic turmoil.

However, the Nehru government underestimated the determination of the Chinese government to safeguard China’s territorial integrity even as the country was mired in both domestic and diplomatic woes.  

Furthering the fact that India’s chances will be bleak should there be a war, the editorial says that the Indian public opinion knows that their army will lose against the China’s PLA.

India is now relying on its diplomatic ties with the US, banking on their support to exert pressure on China, it said.

It seems that New Delhi does not comprehend the nature of the Sino-US rivalry and the meaning of strategic containment. It thinks Washington can influence the situation along the China-India border simply by issuing a pro-India statement or sending warships to the Indian Ocean. 

Also Read: China Doles out Propaganda to Indian Media, Threatens Army

Threatening India with a ‘fixed’ outcome to the Doklam standoff, the editorial pins its hopes on New Delhi to “make a rational choice rather than China daring not to take action.”

If the Narendra Modi government continues ignoring the warning coming from a situation spiraling out of control, countermeasures from China will be unavoidable.  

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