All you need to know about Defence Secretary’s calling China as a bully

New Delhi : India is standing against a “bully” in a very “determined fashion”, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said in a talk held in New Selhi , referring to the situation arising out of China’s military assertiveness along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

His remarks came while replying to a question during an interactive session at the INDUS-X Summit.

India and the US can play a pivotal role in shaping the geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific, promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, Mr Aramane said.

“The possibility that we may encounter a similar situation to what we faced in 2020 is keeping us active all the time,” he said.

Aramane was asked about challenges India is facing along the LAC and New Delhi’s expectations from Washington to deal with common challenges.

“One thing which helped us very quickly is the intelligence, the situational awareness which the US equipment and the US government helped us with. So that is one single most important area …,” he said.

The defence secretary said the strong resolve that both India and the US support each other in the face of a common threat is going to be of critical importance.

“India is giving a face-off to our neighbour in almost all the fronts we have with them, wherever there is a mountain pass, we are stationed there… and wherever there is a road we have to be there. So that way we are there standing against a bully in a very determined fashion,” he said.

Mr Aramane said India expects friends like the US to be supportive.

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