New Delhi: The most important national security challenge facing India is understanding China’s intention in Ladakh and its “deepening and evolving” relationship with Pakistan, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria said Tuesday.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Delhi-based think tank Vivekananda International Foundation, the IAF chief also stated that the Chinese have deployed heavily in Eastern Ladakh, but the counter-actions taken by the Indian armed forces have ensured that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have “stopped in their tracks and they continue to remain there”.

Discussing the ongoing border standoff between India and China in Ladakh, he questioned if the Chinese aggression in the area is simply military signaling, or dominance efforts focussed in the region with adequate escalation control.

“What could be possible Chinese objectives for their action in the North (Ladakh)? It is important that we recognise what they have really achieved,” he said.

“Was it deployment and training of the western defence forces (Western Theatre Command) in real war-like scenarios where the Galwan incident was an overreach? Or was it fine-tuning and enhancing their military technology and recognise and fill their gaps to get their forces to synergise in new structures and new technology and whatever they have introduced?” he added. “Was it a planned escalation to start border talks from new positions… In any case, what has actually happened is all of the above.”

“If Chinese aspirations are global, then it doesn’t suit their grand plan,” he said, lamenting the fact that the rule-based international order is being challenged, and that “a policy of contestation” is being given preference over traditional tenets of cooperation and collaboration by some countries.