CDS Chauhan raises alarm over China-Pakistan-Bangladesh axis

Possible convergence of interest among China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh may result in serious implications for India's stability and security dynamics, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Tuesday. In an address at a think-tank, Gen Chauhan, delving into the May 7-10 military conflict between India and Pakistan, said it was perhaps for the first time that two nuclear weapon states were directly engaged in hostilities. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), referring to Beijing-Islamabad collusivity, said Pakistan has acquired almost 70 to 80 per cent of its weapons and equipment from China in the last five years. He said Chinese military firms have commercial liabilities in Pakistan.

CDS Chauhan also took aim at China’s expanding footprint across the Indian Ocean, driven in part by the Belt and Road Initiative and economic aid to vulnerable states. “Debt diplomacy has become a tool for outside powers to increase influence," he said, explaining, “We are already witnessing how some of our neighbours are caught in financial traps that undermine their sovereignty and create strategic dependencies."

CDS also said, “The global security situation is in a state of flux. The world is transitioning between two orders. In this chaos, the US stance adds an additional layer of complexity — which we are all aware of." “We must be prepared for a spectrum of threats- from internal unrest to external coordination," he said. “Frequent shifts in government in South Asia with changing geopolitical equations and ideological views is another major challenge that we face," CDS Chauhan noted, adding, “These changing dynamics can be exploited by actors with competing interests."