China hopes Indian defence minister’s remarks to be conducive to regional peace, stability

Beijing: China on Thursday expressed the hope that the Indian defence minister’s remarks delivered after arrival of first batch of fighter jets in his country would be conducive to the regional peace and stability. “We hope the Indian side’s relevant remarks will be conducive to regional peace and stability,”

Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing while responding to a question about Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that those who wanted to threaten India’s territorial integrity, should be worried about new fighter jets bought by India from France.

The observers termed the remarks of the Indian defence minister a veiled warning to China. India yesterday received its first consignment of the controversial, multi-billion dollar French Rafale fighter jets amid growing border tensions.

The Indian government hailed a new era in its military history, as five Rafale jets landed at an air base in Ambala on Wednesday afternoon, marking the first batch of multi-role combat fight aircraft acquired by the country in over two decades.