By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, August 1: Amidst border tension between India and China over Doklam and China’s show of military strength at the 90th Anniversary of People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA), renowned India-China defense analyst and author Claude Arpi said that India need to look beyond their present three defense services.
The journalist wrote in his blog, “The time has come for India to wake up and realize that India’s defense needs to look beyond the present three services (Air Force, Navy and Army), even if the latter are soon able to work in a more coordinated manner.”
Claude also warned of Chinese military moving towards the future and expanding its military wings. He said, “Instead of three, China has five services. In addition to PLA’s Army, Navy and Air force, it now has a Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force (SSF).
He believes that the new SSF would be a ‘game changer’ and a ‘critical force’ for dominance in the space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains.
With the show of strength and stern warning against ‘invading enemies’, Chinese President Xi Jinping without mentioning India and its long standoff at Doklam and other regions said, “I firmly believe that our gallant military has both confidence and ability to defeat all invading enemies.”
Looking at the tension in Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, President Xi with the world’s largest army of around 2.3 million personnel today, at the Great Hall of People, also warned against any separatist activities. He said that he would not allow ‘any person, any organization, any political party’ to separate any piece of Chinese territory from China.
The border tension between the two super powers of Asia has reportedly cost a Chinese pharmaceutical company Fosun’s attempt to make a 1.3 billion takeover of Indian company, Gland Pharma.
According to sources, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to block the purchase of 86 percent stake in Gland Pharma, which would have been the biggest Chinese acquisition in India.
China has been laying claims over the disputed border region in Jammu & Kashmir and in Arunachal Pradesh (Southern Tibet) and the issue has been a bone of contention between the two most populated nations in the world. They have held over 18 border talks.
