NEW DELHI: The Indian Army "needs to tone down (its) hawkish rhetoric" and India "is diplomatically immature" said a Chinese state media editorial today
referring to General Bipin Rawat's recent comments+
that appeared to challenge China and Pakistan.
The state media outlet also said dealing with India "requires more than one set of rules", and referred to
Rawat's "harsh comments"+
since the beginning of the year.
"The Indian army seems to have failed to learn its lesson from the
Doklam standoff," said the lead editorial in Global Times, which is run by the Communist Party of China, and is said to often reflect Beijing's views.
"If India continues making provocations, it should expect harsh punishment from the Chinese army. Confronting China entails an unbearably high strategic cost for India. New Delhi should cherish the amicable policy adopted by Beijing," said the editorial.
Global Times was referring to Rawat's comments from last week, when he said India needs to shift military focus to the border with China.
"For too long, we have kept our focus on the western front. I think time has come for us to focus on the northern border. Therefore, our infrastructure development on the
northern border has to be speeded up," said Rawat.
Global Times found Rawat's comments at odds with the sentiments of the external affairs ministry.
"...all these reports (with Rawat's comments) are incongruent with the Indian external affairs ministry's judgment that the status quo prevailed on the border," said the editorial.
It was referring to the months-long standoff in Doklam, which is on the border of India, China and Bhutan. The standoff ended in August after both countries decided to make "necessary adjustments" to do with troops and their deployment, to maintain peace.
Global Times was also peeved by Rawat saying India cannot allow its neighbours to drift away from it to counter an assertive China. That was what it was referring to when it said India is "diplomatically immature"
"This mentality that sees neighbours as an Indian domain is widely adopted in New Delhi. India is diplomatically immature, with a self-centred approach and preference for impulsive nationalism. Dealing with this country requires more than one set of rules," said the editorial.
Rawat has said countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have to be kept on board as part of a broader strategy to deal with China, and India must make "wholehearted" efforts to continue extending support to them.
Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat 
