Boost deterrence to subdue China

Earlier this month former Army Chief Gen Naravane at a literary festival in Ajmer called China India's primary threat adding confrontation along the LAC was a good thing as it exposed this ground reality that Delhi was shy to admit.

- ASHOK K MEHTA

Last week EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Secretary Giridhar Armane called a spade a spade which will infuriate Beijing.

In 1998 India gave China as the reason for carrying out nuclear tests which annoyed the Chinese so much that then foreign minister Jaswant Singh had to travel to Beijing to "untie the knot”. I was witness to the repair exercise in Beijing even as our Army was retaking Tololing Heights, Kargil. Singh had to say that China was not a threat. Sometime later than defence minister George Fernandes called China the number one threat though it was misreported as the "No. 1 enemy". This caused a diplomatic furore as China is acutely sensitive to being seen as or worse a threat by any country.

The government hopes to secure full disengagement of Chinese intrusions diplomatically though the gloves came off last week in February. EAM S Jaishankar speaking at the Raisina dialogue said that China should not be allowed to play mind -games to counter which India must use other means (implying US help) to seek better equilibrium. His comments came a day after Armane at the INDUS-X FORUM in Delhi called Beijing a bully adding "We expect our friend US will be there in case we need their support". Not since 1962 have we sought US military support. Calling China a bully will incense China.