China’s created aura of military might without combat: Army chief

NEW DELHI: Indian armed forces are recalibrating their plans and capabilities for “dynamic responses” along the borders with China and Pakistan below the threshold of all-out wars, as shown during the Balakot air strikes last year, even as they strengthen their conventional military prowess, Army chief Gen M M Naravane said on Wednesday.

Militaries “play to the edge” in the “grey zone” now. China through its incremental moves in the contentious South China Sea, for instance, is altering geo-strategic realities in the region without firing a single shot or inviting any retaliatory action.

“China has not been involved in real, hardcore combat for a few decades now; yet the regular showcasing of its military might have created this aura of China being the