China spoke out after the news that "India sent 10,000 troops" to strengthen its defenses
Chinese officials spoke up after US media reported that India appeared to have sent an additional 10,000 troops to the disputed border area
between the two countries to strengthen defenses.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ninh said on March 8 that Beijing believes that India's move to send more troops to the disputed border between the two countries is "not conducive to reducing tensions." .
Previously, Bloomberg and a number of Western media channels cited Indian officials as saying that New Delhi had summoned 10,000 soldiers stationed on the Western border and sent them to the border area with China to strengthen defense capacity
According to Indian media, these 10,000 soldiers will support the task of protecting the 532km long border with China in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, two regions bordering the Himalayas.
Ms. Mao Ninh said: "China is committed to cooperating with India to protect peace and stability in border areas. We believe that India's actions are not conducive to protecting peace and are not beneficial for reducing tension between the two sides
"India's increased military deployment in border areas does not help calm the situation or protect peace and safety in these areas," Mao added.
In 1962, China and India fought along parts of the 3,800km border that had not been clearly demarcated. Tensions have heated up in recent years as the two countries have clashed in disputed areas.
The situation escalated after the clash between China and India in the Galwan valley in 2020. The incident left 24 people dead on both sides. Since the fighting, tensions between the two countries have continuously escalated as both sides deployed soldiers and weapons to "hot" spots. However, the two countries later agreed to de-escalate tensions at the border and also began to withdraw troops, tanks, and military equipment from the disputed area.
Hai bên đã tổ chức nhiều vòng đàm phán quân sự để giải quyết căng thẳng, trong đó Ấn Độ nhấn mạnh rằng quan hệ với Trung Quốc không thể trở lại bình thường trừ khi các vấn đề biên giới được giải quyết.
NATO brought Patriot missiles close to the Russian border
US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems will be deployed in Lithuania, a NATO member, this year.
At a press conference on March 7, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said that NATO will deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile systems in 2024. "This year, the Patriot rotational air defense system will become operational, at least partially," said Minister Anusauskas.
He added: "Our goal is to rotate deployments to do tasks similar to air patrol missions. This principle will not only happen in a few months but will cover all months and help significantly strengthen our air defense capabilities." The air patrol mission he mentioned was the patrol flights of NATO aircraft in the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (Baltic countries).
Lithuania is a member of NATO sharing borders with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and with Belarus. Last year, the US and European allies brought a number of Patriot complexes to Ukraine under a commitment to support Kiev in its conflict with Russia. This alliance has also deployed additional forces to Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries in recent years due to concerns about the spreading Ukraine crisis.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned last month that the Western alliance "must prepare for a confrontation that could last decades". For its part, Russia believes that NATO's continued expansion eastward and its cooperation with Kiev are one of the root causes of the current conflict. Russian officials have repeatedly emphasized that Moscow considers NATO military units near its borders a national security threat.
In January, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that the deployment of additional foreign forces in Lithuania "will only lead to an escalation of military tensions."