Port Blair: India should look at China as a strategic partner and not as a threat, a senior military commander has said.
“Is China a threat to us? Though we have some border issues with China, we have a strategic, economic partnership with that country,” Air Marshal P K Roy, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, told reporters here on the sidelines of the Milan 2014 drill involving 16 navies of the Asia-Pacific region.
“If we look at each other as a threat, then none of the two countries will grow,” he added.
He also spoke about China’s growing presence in the Southeast Asian region, especially its presence in the South China Sea.
“It is increasing its presence, its navy is growing and we are aware of it... We are conscious about it. We are also developing, modernising, increasing and building our capacity,” he said.
“As regard to the South China Sea and the growing Chinese presence, we are trying to find an amicable solution... We are working on it. Till we arrive at an amicable solution, a code of conduct has to be put in place to ensure that the situation does not escalate,” he added.
He also refused to read much into the Chinese presence in the Coco Islands, located between the Andamans and Myanmar.
“China has been developing a runway for civilian purposes. There are no reports of presence of Chinese per se. The situation is not alarming,” he said, adding that it was only some civilian infrastructural developments and not a threat to India.
Delhi holds summit to inspire youth
New Delhi: A day-long summit was organised here yesterday to inspire the city’s youth to follow their dreams instead of taking the beaten path when it comes to choosing their careers.
Sharing their tales of success and their will to fight on even after repeated failures, range of speakers from different backgrounds addressed youngsters aged between 14 and 18 at “The Shift” event held at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
“Their inspirational messages were a source of motivation for all young minds,” said Anjali Raghbeer of Livewire, which organised the event. “The main aim of the conference is to nurture young minds, moulding them to the best of their abilities so that they could make a right shift in their career.”
The speakers included writer Anita Roy, composer and singer Shantanu Moitra among others.
The audience were students from several Delhi schools and their parents. There was a live telecast of the summit in over 150 schools across India.
Agencies
