Army Chief General Manoj Pande’s remarks that China was not displaying any intent to settle the boundary question with India and that Delhi must maintain a robust posture to tackle any contingency arising from it should not come as a surprise. Historically, trust deficit has been at the centre of Sino-Indian ties, with both nations unable to come to an understanding on several bilateral issues, the most significant of which has been the boundary question.

Both nations are currently locked in a stalemated military confrontation in eastern Ladakh that entered its third year this month. The Ladakh confrontation was preceded by a tripartite stand-off in the Doklam region (2017-2020). Despite several agreements and protocols in place, each country charges the other with cyclical territorial transgressions. In the process of trying to resolve them, there have been sporadic incidents of violence, which have resulted in fatalities.
There are some 20-odd places along the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) where both sides still have overlapping, competing claims. So when General Pande says that the “basic issue remains the resolution of the border”, and suggests that Beijing wants to keep the boundary issue alive in its own self-interest, it is a warning to stay alert and to recalibrate military and diplomatic policy.
He is right when he says that the country needs to follow “a whole of nation” approach “to address this issue in its entirety.” To prevent any attempt to alter the status quo at the LAC should be a priority for India, which has been consistent about globally flagging Beijing's violation of all, if not parts of bilateral agreements inked since 1993 that were aimed at reducing face-offs till a final border settlement could be achieved.
Truth be told, China’s overweening desire to expand its geopolitical reach has left not only India, but also other countries in Asia and Europe suspicious and distrustful of it. That India has chosen to militarily take the hard line approach to keep the Chinese at bay says a lot about New Delhi’s resolute determination to hold onto to its important positions. When our army chief says that China has to do more to “establish trust and tranquillity between the two sides”, he is on the same page as the civilian establishment in expressing the hope that Beijing and Delhi continue to talk and engage with each other to resolve their issues.
The army, meanwhile, must leave no stone unturned to upgrade its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, besides improving its technologies, logistics and border infrastructure along the LAC and tackle the threat of the dragon.