New Delhi: India's border with China has become more active and requires a sustained troop commitment, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, citing improvements in frontier infrastructure and military preparedness since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Saturday, Jaishankar said India had significantly improved its ability to deploy troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He cited the construction of roads and tunnels, new bridges and the commissioning of airfields as evidence of the increased focus on border infrastructure.
"The border with China has become more alive in a way," he said, adding that the situation required a much greater, sustained commitment of troops.
Jaishankar said border infrastructure had received greater attention and resources over the past decade, after being neglected for years. He said the improvements had helped India maintain the required troop strength along the frontier.
His remarks come as India and China continue efforts to stabilise bilateral relations following the military standoff in eastern Ladakh, which lasted more than four years. Relations began to improve after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
The external affairs minister also addressed the economic gap between the two countries, saying China had made major advances in industrialisation and modernisation during the 1980s while India had missed opportunities during that period.
He said India needed to build on its strengths and pursue faster industrial development to address the economic imbalance.
(With inputs from media reports)