China’s ambitions for regional and global dominance driven by its internal dynamics: Army Vice Chief

“China’s ambitions for regional and global dominance are driven by its internal dynamics and new found status as a political, economic, technological and military powerhouse,” he said.

Separately, without naming China, he said India’s transparent engagements and genuine outreach efforts have fared better, despite “the challenges posed by others’ predatory economic pursuits.”

Lt Gen Kumar’s comments come days after Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande made a slew of strong comments on China at an event in Pune. Among other things, he had said that Chinese transgressions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remain a potential trigger for escalation, and violation of existing border agreements and protocols by it remains a concern for India.

Talking about India’s expanding sphere of influence in the current geo-political situation, Lt Gen Kumar said the world recognises India’s strengths and that 2023 will be a crucial year for India in terms of global policy making.

“With a presidency of G20, India will have a significant role to play in finding practical and effective global solutions that benefit everyone,” he said.

He added that with India holding the SCO presidency, there lies an opportunity to strengthen relations with Russia and central Asian republics, which will create the “necessary counter balances in the security canvas.”

He said that the primacy of national interest has been exemplified by India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“While remaining firmly rooted in our domestic realities and needs, we have stood clear headed and steadfast in pursuit of our national interest on this issue,” he said.

“This India-first policy approach is a product of our economic military and diplomatic capabilities as well as a confident optimism about the future. Additionally, in the military context, we remain cognizant of the imperatives of our military hardware, inventory diversification and need for self-reliance or Atmanirbharta,” he said.

The top Army officer said that in addition to India’s focus on trade, investment, energy cooperation and technological advancements, India’s joint military training exercise and exchange programmes will also see an increase in scope and scale.

He added that India’s commitment to achieving shared development goals in south Asia has grown significantly as the country aims to build stronger relationships with developing countries to promote regional stability and prosperity.

He said the country’s focus on neighborhood-first has been the guiding principle in many endeavors, even in the face of economic, political and security challenges that have marked India’s immediate neighborhood.

“India has been shouldering its regional responsibilities by providing aid, disaster relief, extending lines of credit, supplying essential commodities, mobilizing multilateral institutions and revitalizing bilateral mechanisms.”

For the Army, he said, it should remain congruent to the contemporary environment and keep pace with evolving technology and counter dynamic threats, which he added would be an appropriate way to carry forward the legacy of Gen Sundarji who promoted doctrinal and technological advancement in the military.

“It is necessary for us to transform so that we can transition into a modern, agile, adaptive and technology enabled future ready force,” he said.

Former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Shyam Saran said that opportunities do exist in the shaping of the world order because as India is in the middle of a secular shift from a western dominated word order centered in the trans-Atlantic to a more diffused, yet shifting geopolitical terrain with the trans-Pacific, including Asia, emerging as the new political and economic centre of gravity.

“We are in between orders and this has created opportunities for a country like India to play a role in shaping the incoming order in a manner aligned as much as possible to its interests,” he said, adding that India’s presidency of the G20 reflects India’s emergence as a major power but also presents the opportunity for the country to be a leading power.

Former ARTRAC commander Lt Gen Raj Shukla (retd) said he wishes to drive home the “whole charade of China’s peaceful rise” because it has military implications.

“As recent you know, writings of the subject tell us it is perhaps one of the most brilliantly orchestrated, surgically executed pieces of strategic deception in recent times,” the UPSC member said, while also quoting studies of the PLA’s massive growth and its rising defence budget over the last few decades.

He also said the India military needs to make the transition from one which is narrowly focused on defence to one that also enables and secures India’s rise.