VK Singh takes umbrage at 'distortion' of his China remark, clarifies 'LAC not demarcated'

On Wednesday, MoS Road Transport and Highways General VK Singh (retd.) clarified that his statement on the faceoff with China at Line of Actual Control was distorted. Speaking to the media in Madurai on February 7, Singh was quoted by a media publication as saying, "None of you come to know how many times we have transgressed as per our perception. We don’t announce it. Chinese media does not cover it… Let me assure you, if China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times, as per our perception". Refuting that he made such a statement, the former Indian Army chief stated that both countries continue to have differing perceptions about the borders along the LAC.

Terming China's refusal to settle the border dispute as a "bullying tactic", he reiterated that any aggression by the People's Liberation Army would be responded to with "equal or greater level" akin to the Galwan clash. According to General Singh, the "malicious distortion" of his remarks had given China a platform to cover its own aggression and shift the blame on India. A day earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin termed the purported remark as an "unwitting confession" and claimed that India's "frequent acts of trespass" is the root cause of the tensions at the India-China border. Moreover, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had demanded Singh's ouster from the Union Council of Ministers. 

Read clarification of General VK Singh (retd.) here: 

Read: India Hold Talks With China On Bilateral Issues During UNSC Tenure Amid LAC Dispute

LAC faceoff

The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. 

The 20th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) took place on December 18, 2020. The developments along the LAC were reviewed and both sides agreed to work towards ensuring complete disengagement as per the agreements reached between the respective Foreign Ministers and Special Representatives. Furthermore, they acknowledged that the 7th and 8th round of military commander-level talks had contributed to ensuring "stability on the ground". On January 24, the 9th round of Corps Commander-level talks was held to work out a phased disengagement and de-escalation plan. 

Read: MEA Apprises Parliament Of LAC Situation, Highlights China's Offense Met With Apt Response