In The Past We Were Very Timid, This Time We Looked Into China's Eyes And Took Them On: Ex-Army Chief Bikram Singh

Amid an agreement between India and China for disengagement on North and South banks of the Pangong Tso in Ladakh, Former chief of the Indian Army General Bikram Singh said that this was the first time India looked China in the eye and mobilized.

The standoff between India and China was discussed in great detail by a panel of experts at the India Today Conclave East 2021 in Kolkata on Thursday (11 February).

Former chief of the Indian Army General Bikram Singh and India's former ambassador to Italy and Romania Rajiv Dogra were among members of this panel.

Speaking at the event General (Retired) Bikram Singh said, "We had been timid with China in the past. Whenever they came into our land, we solved it diplomatically. This was the first time we looked China in the eye and mobilized."

“I think the costs at both strategic and political level are high for Xi Jinping if China continues with the stalemate with India,” he said.

Further General (Retired) Bikram Singh added that India needs to move ahead with cautious optimism as we cannot take China at face value.

"Since the 1993 agreement, China has had a poor track record in terms of adhering to confidence-building measures and protocols," he added.

Recently India and China reached an agreement to start disengagement of troops on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake nearly nine months after the military standoff in eastern Ladakh made headlines for the first time.