AGENCIES / Guwahati
India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has said that China, with the ambition of emerging as a global power, is making deep inroads in the South Asian countries and witnessing geo-strategic competition.
He said that China has heavily invested in all the South Asian countries and in Indian ocean region attempting to reduce India’s influence. China is trying to engulf India and it is a threat to India’s territorial integrity and strategic position. General Rawat was speaking at the 1st Ravi Kant Singh Memorial Lecture Series titled ‘Assam at Crossroads: Geopolitical events in its neighbourhood impacting North East India’ at Guwahati this evening.
General Rawat said, Assam along with the other North Eastern states hold an immense geo-strategic significance as the gateway to the South East Asia and it provides an opportunity to consolidate India’s relation with these countries. He also said that North Eastern region is also the focal point for India’s cooperation for South East Asia and India’s Act East Policy of neighbourhood first.
India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami was also present on the occasion.
