India and China have been locked in a border standoff in the sensitive Ladakh sector for almost two years. Despite three rounds of disengagement at friction points on the LAC — the two armies still have 50,000- 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.
Lieutenant General Manoj Pande will be the 29th Indian Army chief.
US Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino said the hostile actions were in stark contrast to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s past assurances that Beijing would not transform the artificial islands in contested waters into military bases.
There were no immediate comments from Chinese officials.(Reuters)
USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln are in the South China Sea for training. The drills began on Sunday, following exercises with a Japanese naval ship in the Philippine Sea last week.
File photo of US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.(Reuters)