India’s Modi Says Country Will Not ‘instigate’ But Will Respond To China Aggression

TOPLINE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the border face-off between India and China, which caused the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, saying that his country does not “instigate” but will not compromise on its “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

KEY FACTS

Crititcal Quote

Stating that India doesn’t want differences to turn into disputes, Modi said “We never provoke anyone but we will not compromise with integrity and sovereignty. Whenever the time has come, we have proved our strength and capabilities in protecting our integrity and sovereignty.” 

Key Background

At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed on Tuesday after tensions between the Indian and Chinese army flared up in the disputed mountain region of Ladakh, which is claimed by both countries. While there is no official word on the number of Chinese casualties, Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the state-controlled Global Times newspaper, tweeted that there had been casualties on the Chinese side as well. Indian news agency ANI, citing sources, reported that there had been 43 deaths on the Chinese side. This is the first time since 1975 that Indian soldiers have been killed in a border clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. A report by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace stated that the timing of current Chinese action which includes the incremental acquisition of claimed territories along the Sino-Indian borderlands “resembles the patterns Beijing’s behavior has exhibited elsewhere in the world such as the South China Sea.” In recent weeks China has engaged in confrontations with Malaysian and Vietnamese vessels in the South China Sea and twice sailed an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait. Beijing has also unilaterally moved to seize new powers over Hong Kong.