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India wary of China, Pakistan: IAF chief Raha

“The situation is not good for the environment, as peaceful rise of China remains a distant dream. An assertive China is investing heavily in developing military power, especially aerospace power, laying claims on international waters, island territories and air space over South China Sea and East China Sea,” Raha said during the Eighth Annual Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture.

Noting that the situation in South Asia spawning Afghanistan and Pakistan was going to be delicate, especially after the withdrawal of the US-led allied forces, the chief of air staff said Pakistan was the fountainhead of terrorism, encouraging terrorist activities despite being a part of the global war on terror.

“Withdrawal of American and western forces from Afghanistan will create a very delicate situation for India in terms of some conventional threats to us. Similarly, the IS (Islamic State) gaining strength in West Asia poses another challenge for us to deal with proper planning and induction of forces, especially aerospace power,” he said.

Raha said China was developing capabilities to fight major conflicts over the next 35 years, as mentioned by a security analyst in Hong Kong in an article recently.

“By 2050, China wants to annex Taiwan, occupy the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, annex South Tibet and Arunachal from India, get hold of Senkaku Islands of Japan and recover lost territories in Russia and Mangolia,” Raha said.
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