News Analysis India

Tag: Chinese

  • Indian Army personnel to soon begin learning Mandarin to engage with Chinese military

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Indian Army personnel will soon begin learning the Chinese language.

    A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Army and Assam’s Tezpur University on Wednesday for training the personnel in Chinese. It was signed by the 4 Corps on behalf of the Army and the Registrar of Tezpur University in the presence of Vice Chancellor Prof SN Singh.

    The 16-week course will be conducted at the Tezpur University.

    ALSO READ | Disengagement, de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh best way forward: Defence Minister Rajnath

    Tezpur University, a central varsity established in 1994, is one of the pioneers in the Northeast in teaching foreign languages, including Chinese, with highly-qualified faculty.

    “This Chinese language course will improve the in-house Mandarin expertise and empower the Army personnel to engage with the Chinese military personnel as and when the situation demands,” a defence statement said.

    “With improved Chinese language skills, the Army personnel will be better empowered to convey their points in a much more cogent manner. It will also help in better exchange of viewpoints and understanding of the Chinese PLA’s version of their activities during various interactions such as Commander Level talks, Flag Meetings, Joint Exercises and Border Personnel Meetings etc,” the statement further said.

    In 2021, Indian Army personnel began studying Tibetan history, culture and language, apparently to counter Chinese influence.

    GUWAHATI: Indian Army personnel will soon begin learning the Chinese language.

    A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Army and Assam’s Tezpur University on Wednesday for training the personnel in Chinese. It was signed by the 4 Corps on behalf of the Army and the Registrar of Tezpur University in the presence of Vice Chancellor Prof SN Singh.

    The 16-week course will be conducted at the Tezpur University.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    ALSO READ | Disengagement, de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh best way forward: Defence Minister Rajnath

    Tezpur University, a central varsity established in 1994, is one of the pioneers in the Northeast in teaching foreign languages, including Chinese, with highly-qualified faculty.

    “This Chinese language course will improve the in-house Mandarin expertise and empower the Army personnel to engage with the Chinese military personnel as and when the situation demands,” a defence statement said.

    “With improved Chinese language skills, the Army personnel will be better empowered to convey their points in a much more cogent manner. It will also help in better exchange of viewpoints and understanding of the Chinese PLA’s version of their activities during various interactions such as Commander Level talks, Flag Meetings, Joint Exercises and Border Personnel Meetings etc,” the statement further said.

    In 2021, Indian Army personnel began studying Tibetan history, culture and language, apparently to counter Chinese influence.

  • Pics show Indian Army unfurling tricolour in Galwan Valley on New Year, bust PLA propaganda

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Indian Army unfurled the Tricolour in the Galwan valley, Ladakh on the occasion of New Year. As per sources in the security establishment, the Indian Army personnel had hoisted the National flag in Galwan on New Year’s eve.
    The move comes amid reports in a section of media that claimed that Chinese soldiers had displayed their flag in the region a few days ago.

    Earlier, the media reported that the Chinese government had sought to “rename” 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh in its map two days ahead of implementing new border law.

    The Indian Government on last Thursday said that it has seen reports of China attempting to rename some places in Arunachal Pradesh “in its own language” and asserted that the border state has been and will always be an integral part of India and “assigning invented names does not alter this fact”.

    In response to a media query on reports that China has renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh in its own language, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017.

    Indian Army soldiers in Galwan Valley on #NewYear(Photo credit: Sources in security establishment) pic.twitter.com/GJxK0QOW48
    — ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2022
    After the Galwan clash in 2020, several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have ended in a stalemate. Disengagement at some border points did take place but by and large, there is an impasse on complete disengagement. Disengagement at Depsang and Hot Springs remains a key sticky point.

    A huge build-up of forces on each side of Eastern Ladakh even during harsh winters indicates that conflict is far from being defused.

    India maintains that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) had been caused by unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo and in violation of the bilateral agreements. It was therefore necessary that the Chinese side take appropriate steps in the remaining areas so as to restore peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western Sector.

  • Boost to maritime power: Indian Navy to commission missile destroyer, submarine

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy will commission a guided-missile destroyer and a Kalvari-class submarine by next week in a boost to its combat capability in dealing with the rapidly changing security environment in the face of growing Chinese forays into the Indian Ocean region.

    Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, said destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’ will be commissioned on November 21 while submarine Vela will be inducted into the force on November 25.

    The Navy commander also said that as many as 39 naval ships and submarines are currently being constructed in various Indian shipyards that are expected to significantly boost India’s maritime prowess.

    “We all know that the maritime environment is a complex one and it only increases with more number of players involved,” he said.

    “We live in a time when global and regional balances of power are shifting rapidly and the region of most rapid change is undoubtedly the Indian Ocean Region,” the commander said.

    Vice Admiral Ghormade said continuous efforts are, therefore, on to ensure that the force levels grow progressively to enhance the capability of the Indian Navy to meet the emerging challenges.

    While warship ‘Visakhapatnam’ will be commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the chief guest at the induction ceremony of Vela will be Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh.

    Both the platforms have been built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. The induction ceremonies will be held at the naval dockyard in Mumbai.

    “The commissioning of Visakhapatnam will reaffirm India’s presence amongst an elite group of nations with capability to design and build advanced warships,” the Vice Admiral said.

    He said apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘float’ and ‘move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with many major indigenous weapons such as indigenous medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd, surface-to-surface missiles by Brahmos Aerospace and torpedo tubes and launchers by L&T.

    “The overall indigenous content of the project is approximately 75 per cent,” he said. Vela is the fourth submarine of the Kalvari class.

    “Submarine building is a sophisticated exercise involving placing small components sequentially and logically inside the submarine as the space within is extremely constricted,” Vice Admiral Ghormade said.

    “Very few countries possess this ability in their industrial capacity. India has proven its capability to build our own submarines for the past 25 years,” he added.

  • Navy will achieve its 170-ship force level, timelines being revised: Navy Vice Chief

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Indian Navy’s plans towards the 200 ship force will be achieved in the future but at present, the focus is towards reaching the 170 ship force level with a tweaked timeline, said Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, Vice Chief of Naval Staff on Tuesday while briefing media on the commissioning of the first of Project-15B class stealth guided-missile destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’ on November 21 and the fourth Scorpene-class submarine ‘Vela’ on November 25.Indian Navy is making continuous efforts to ensure the force levels grow progressively to enhance the capability to meet the emerging challenges as the Maritime environment is a complex one and it only increases with more number of players involved, said Ghormade.“Earlier the plan was for 170 (ships) by 2027 but over the period, of course, there has been a delay in the procurement and acquisition process. Now we are reformulating the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) for the next 15 years, but the Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICAP), which has come up, is for a ten-year period. Why we work on a 15-year model, is because the Navy’s projects have a long gestation period. We need to have a much larger timeframe for induction,” he explained. 

    The Navy currently has 130 ships. With ICAP under the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), “the work is progressing on the tri-services front to make an integrated development system, in which our Maritime Capability Perspective Plan has been included into it, which will ensure that our process continues.”

    “MCPP caters to capability-dominant and threat-cum-mission based approaches. The capabilities are built over a period of time, which will meet our capability across the spectrum of warfare. From the lower density to nuclear war,” he said.

    When asked about the issue of new warships being made available to Pakistan by China, the Vice Chief said even as the threats keep changing, the plan takes care of that and emerging threats. it is reviewed every five years.

    On the need for a second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-II) and the debate over carriers versus submarines and islands, Vice Adm Ghormade said all platforms like carrier, submarine, and maritime patrol aircraft have a definite role to raise a balanced force.  “The aircraft carrier, the submarines, maritime patrol aircraft all have their definite role, therefore to make a balanced force all these are required for the capability of the country. When we make this plan (MCPP) we have factored in the aircraft carrier, we have factored in submarines. On which we are worked on the affordability.”

    Terming the commissioning of ‘Visakhapatnam’ and ‘Vela’ as major milestones in the sphere of indigenisation, he said, as many as 39 ships and submarines are presently under construction at various Indian shipyards across the country. The contract for the construction of four ships under Project-15B was signed in January 2011 at a project cost of about ₹29,643.74 crore. The final cost of the project is ₹35,000 crore. The four ships are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country  – Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. The remaining ships would be commissioned one per year from 2022 to 2024. Similarly, the fifth Scorpene undergoing trials is scheduled to be commissioned by October 2022 and the sixth and last submarine by the end 2023.

  • Indian Sailors Stuck In China For 7 Months Catch Owaisi’s Eye; Govt Assures ‘return Soon

    The Indian government on Wednesday said 39 Indian sailors stuck in China will be brought back soon as diplomatic talks are on with the neighbouring country. Two cargo vessels with a total of 39 Indians on board have been on anchorage in Chinese waters as they were not allowed to unload their cargo though some other ships have managed to do so. The matter was purported to also have a connection to the souring of Australia-China ties in recent months, though Beijing has disputed this.

    “Diplomatic talks are going on for this successfully. Our seafarers will come to India soon,” Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in reply to a query about sailors being stuck in China for the last seven months during Cabinet briefing.

    Meanwhile, China has said that the “real” reason for the Indian sailors stuck in China is that the “freight forwarder doesn’t want to adjust plans due to commercial interests”. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India Counselor Ji Rong also said that the Chinese authorities have “never denied any vessel departure”.

    Taking to Twitter, the spokesperson said, “Chinese authorities have been in close communication with the Indian side and provided timely assistance and necessary supplies to Indian sailors. China has never denied any vessel departure. The real cause of the situation is freight forwarder doesn’t want to adjust plans due to commercial interests.”

  • Memorial in memory of 20 soldiers killed in skirmishes with Chinese soldiers in Galvan

    A memorial has been erected to commemorate the martyrdom of 20 Indian Army soldiers who were martyred in the Galvan Valley amidst the ongoing deadlock with China. Let me tell you that on June 15 this year, 20 soldiers of Bihar Regiment were killed in violent clash between China and India along the Line of Actual Control. This memorial is built close to Eru-120 post. This post is with the strategically important Derbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi and Ladakh. The names of all those 20 soldiers who were martyred in violent clashes are inscribed on this memorial. These soldiers were martyred near the Y-Junction area under Operation Snow Leopard.

    On 15 June 2020, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment in Galvan Valley, Colonel B Santosh Babu, led the Quick Reaction Force and fellow soldiers carried out the PLP OP, according to Operation Detail’s on the memorial.

    Explain that between India and China, tension has remained in Ladakh since May 5. On the intervening night of June 15-16 in the Galvan Valley of Ladakh, this conflict between the two countries turned into a violent skirmish, in which 20 soldiers of India were martyred. China also suffered a lot in this. Many military and diplomatic level talks also took place between the two countries since the start of the conflict. After which both countries have agreed to rear their forces. Let us tell you that this was the biggest incident of violence in 45 years on the border. Significantly, the order of dialogue between the two countries is also going on. India and China recently held another round of diplomatic talks on the border dispute in eastern Ladakh.

    Both countries insisted on implementing decisions taken in the sixth round of military talks to avoid misunderstandings and to maintain stability on the ground. Diplomats from both countries held another round of digital talks under the framework of the Executive Mechanism (WMCC) for consultation and coordination on border matters, but it is believed that there is no concrete dialogue to speed up the process of resolving the deadlock. The result did not yield and both sides agreed to continue the negotiation process.

  • Global Times survey, 50% Chinese citizens happy with Modi government of India

    Amid the ongoing tension in India and China, about 51 percent Chinese people have said that they are happy with the Modi government of India. 

    China’s official propaganda newspaper Global Times has conducted a survey on relations between the two countries, three months after the bloody clash between India and China’s military in the Galvan Valley of Beijing Ladakh. The result of this survey has shown that Chinese people are not happy with the actions of their leaders. On the other hand, about 51 percent of Chinese people in this survey have praised the Modi government of India.

    In the Global Times survey, 70 percent of Chinese people said that there is too much anti-China thinking in India. At the same time, 30 percent people said that they feel that the relationship between the two countries will improve in the coming time. 9 per cent said that they felt that the relationship would improve in the short term, while 25 per cent believed that the relationship would improve in the long term.

    Meanwhile, Chinese dispute-making tech company Huawei is making a winning effort to woo Indians. Huawei is giving big advertisements. Huwaway said that she is committed to India and has been working in India for the last 20 years. According to media reports, India wants to remove Huawei’s equipment in a phased manner.

    It is being told that the Indian government has allegedly indicated to telecom companies to stay away from the Chinese company instead of banning Huawei. Huawei has been banned in the US, UK and Australia. Not only this, there is a partial ban on Huawei in New Zealand as well. India had banned 59 Chinese apps, including TickTalk, after the Galvan violence in the past.