Sharad Pawar: Chinese are surreptitiously encircling Indian Sub-Continent from all directions

In the wake of the recent Indo-China border dispute, NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday invited Shri Bhushan Gokhale, former Air Marshal of Indian Air Force and Shri Vijay Gokhale, Former Foreign Secretary and an expert on Indo-China relations to share their experiences related to this issue..

He had invited former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd) for interaction with NCP MPs Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Amol Kolhe and Vandana Chavan against the background of the stand-off in eastern Ladakh, Pawar tweeted.

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Chinese are "surreptitiously" encircling the Indian sub-continent, and also expressed concern over their presence in the South China Sea.

The former defence minister said that during the meeting he expressed his concerns over a larger strategic and political thinking in China that aims to halt India's economic growth.

"I highlighted the fact that the Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian Sub-Continent from all directions and also expressed my concern over their presence in the South China Sea," Pawar said in another tweet.

"I hinted at the need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal and also the Chinese interventions in general," he added.

Vijay Gokhale spoke about the history of Indo-China relationship, especially the border disputes. Gokhale who is also the former foreign secretary shared his views on the current situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Pawar said.

Air Marshal Gokhale emphasized that India must take into consideration the new era of parallel warfare that includes cyber war, information war, perception creation and war on economic fronts, the NCP president added.

In the wake of the recent Indo-China border dispute, I had invited Shri Bhushan Gokhale, former Air Marshal of Indian Air Force and Shri Vijay Gokhale, Former Foreign Secretary and an expert on Indo-China relations... pic.twitter.com/SS5L8RluLt

— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) September 3, 2020

Shri Vijay Gokhale explained to us the history of Indo-China relationship, especially the border disputes. He also shared his views on the current LAC face-off and skirmishes on the border in the last few months. pic.twitter.com/9PrEznHLyk

— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) September 3, 2020

I shared the experiences of my visits to China in the early Nineties and expressed my concerns over a larger strategic and political thinking in China that aims to halt our economic growth.

— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) September 3, 2020

I hinted at the need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal and also the Chinese interventions in general.

— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) September 3, 2020