China not a threat to India, says Fernandes

GUWAHATI: Defence Minister George Fernandes on Saturday said that there was no threat to the country from China, with the eastern frontier well protected and safe.

“The Sino-Indian border is safe and every inch of our territory is well protected and guarded,” Fernandes told reporters in Guwahati. “There is no need for concern along our eastern frontiers.”

The defence minister’s statement comes in the wake of reports of Chinese troops intruding into Indian territory along a stretch of the unfenced border with Arunachal Pradesh.”

The open Sino-Indian border has been a cause of some irritation on both sides with reports of intrusion taking place from time to time,” Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi had said. “We need to find mutually acceptable ways with China to demarcate the border to avoid any mistrust and tension.”

Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,030-km open border with China that is demarcated by the Line of Actual Control (LAC), also known as the McMahon Line. Fernandes said that security along the frontiers with Bangladesh and Bhutan needed to be tightened to prevent cross-border terrorism.

“The porosity needs to be taken care of where the border is unfenced and it is a matter of time before we do that,” the defence minister said.Fernandes, however, refused to comment on the security threat to India following reports of suspected al-Qaeda operatives setting up bases in Bangladesh. —IANS

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