Despite recent India-China bromance, CDS Anil Chauhan lists border dispute with China as India's biggest challenge

Even as India and China have claimed to have made significant progress toward the normalisation of bilateral ties, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, on Friday, said he thinks the boundary dispute with China is India’s biggest challenge and will continue to remain so. 

 

His remarks come a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to work towards a "fair, reasonable and mutually-acceptable" solution to the India-China border issue during the meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

 

The second major challenge, according to the CDS, is Pakistan’s proxy war against India, with a strategy of 'bleed India by a thousand cuts.' 

 

"Both of our opponents are nuclear powers, and it will always remain a challenge to decide what kind of operations we want to undertake against them," he said, while addressing an event in Gorakhpur.

 

Another challenge is the fact that the domains of war have changed, as it now include cyber and space as well, he said.

 

Regional instability is also a concern, as almost all of India’s neighbours face social, political, and economic unrest, the CDS noted.

 

Highlighting the complex nature of India's security environment, General Chauhan said the country shares borders with seven nations, making its strategic landscape highly sensitive.

 

"Terrorism has been a major challenge. While its impact has declined, newer, unconventional threats are emerging that are not always visible," he noted.

 

Earlier, he visited the Gorakhnath temple in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur to attend the annual 'Vyakhyanmala' held on the death anniversary of Mahant Digvijaynath Maharaj and Mahant Avedyanath Maharaj.

Defence