Xi Jinping spoke to the soldiers, India will conduct exercises on the border

fighter jet 

Symbolic photo: Reuters

The Indian Air Force is going to conduct a large-scale exercise in the airspace adjacent to China's border in the northeast of India. The exercise will be held in the states of the region including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam. News from The Hindu and Times of India.

India is going to conduct this exercise amid tensions with China over the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Especially after the Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers deployed along the Indian border in a video call, India learned about this exercise.  

Chinese media reported on Thursday that Xi Jinping spoke to the country's troops last Wednesday. It is said that he addressed the troops by joining a video call from the PLA headquarters in the capital Beijing. At this time, Xi Jinping said to the country's soldiers, 'Are you ready for war?' In response, the Chinese soldiers said in unison, 'Yes, we are ready.'

Amid such provocation by China, India prepared for a large-scale air exercise on the border. This exercise is scheduled to be held from February 1 to 5. Various warplanes including frontline fighters, helicopters, drones will take part in it. The exercise will be supervised by the Eastern Air Command based in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.

Last month, the Indian Air Force conducted a two-day exercise in the northeastern region bordering China. India conducted this exercise after the clash between Indian troops and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9.

According to the related sources, this exercise will be held on a larger scale than the previous one. Indian Air Force's C-130J Super Hercules fighter jets, Chinook-Apache helicopters, and various aircraft can participate in it.

China has deployed more than 50,000 troops and heavy weapons along the eastern Ladakh border. China has deployed troops on the border for the third time in a row this winter. India has a dispute with China over this too. Meanwhile, clashes and disputes between the two sides took place on the border of the northeastern region.

India has detected a series of Chinese warplanes along the eastern LAC in recent months. In view of this, Indian forces have deployed Sukhoi fighter jets there. Apart from this, the Chinese forces have accelerated their operations and infrastructure construction in Bhutan's Doklam region. The increasing Chinese presence and activities in the area along the Sikkim-Bhutan and Tibet border has become a major cause of concern for Delhi.