Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Friday said that situation along Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh remains tense, reported PTI.

He added that China’s PLA is facing unanticipated consequences for its misadventure in Ladakh because of firm responses by Indian forces.

The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in an over five-month bitter standoff in eastern Ladakh with each side deploying over 50,000 troops in the region, reflecting the intensity of the confrontation. Both sides held multiple rounds of talks but no breakthrough in resolving the standoff has been found yet.

Speaking at the Diamond Jubilee Webinar organised by National Defence College, Rawat said, “In the coming years, we will see our defence industry growing exponentially and contributing to the overall defence preparedness and deliver us state-of-art weapons and equipment fully made in India.”

“As far as defence cooperation is concerned, we understand the importance of leveraging defence diplomacy in building mutual trust and partnerships with strategically important countries,” the CDS said.

“Our posturing is unambiguous. We will not accept any shifting of the Line of Actual Control,” he asserted.

Talking about the overall security calculus, Gen Rawat said border confrontations, transgressions and unprovoked tactical military actions spiralling into a larger conflict cannot be discounted.

The Chief of Defence Staff also touched on the issue of cross border terrorism from Pakistan and the way it has been dealt with by the Indian armed forces.