New Delhi

Asserting that the Indian Army had adequately responded to the Chinese efforts to change the status quo by force on the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Sunday made it clear that the force would not allow any loss of territory in that area.

In an interview to ANI, the new Indian Army chief said the situation at the LAC is normal at the moment where "unilateral and provocative actions by our adversary to change the status quo by force had been adequately dealt with".

General Pande said that in the last two years "we have carried out threat assessment and realigned and reoriented our forces".

"As far as LAC situation is concerned, our troops are present in a very firm and resolute manner ensuring that there is no change in the status quo," he said.

The new Army chief said that Indian Army troops are "holding important physical positions and in all this, we are very clear that we will not permit any change in status quo and any loss of territory".

General Pande said that "our focus has also been infrastructure development especially habitat to match the operational and logistics requirement".

"In the end, our aim is to reduce the tension along the LAC and restoration of status quo as it was earlier," he said.

India and China have been engaged in a military standoff situation for the last two years after Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh after which both sides have deployed troops opposite each other all along the border.