"India Is Facing A Very Assertive China": Ex-Foreign Secretary on Tawang clash

When asked if it was realistic to expect the Chinese to withdraw to pre-2020 positions, Nirupama Rao, Former Indian Foreign Secretary, said "it is necessary to remember that everything changed in terms of India's relationship with China in June 2020 with what happened in Galwan. And today what India is facing is a Chinese presence across the LAC which is very intrusive, and very assertive. China is literally and figuratively seeking commanding heights along the terrain involved. Both India and China have been trading accusations on just who started the fire to borrow a line. So infrastructure building across the LAC has also triggered a situation where troops of the 2 sides are in increasing patterns of close confrontation. Reason would demand that disengagement and de-escalation should take place because the situation is quite kinetic. Both countries have different determinations of how to define the status quo and that is really at the heart of the problem."