New Delhi: Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Monday, Aug 10 warned that Beijing is in the process of creating formidable military capabilities that will make them more assertive in its claims on the neighbourhood.

Mehta at the National Maritime Foundation said, "China is in the process of consolidating its comprehensive national power and creating formidable military capabilities. Once that is done, China is likely to be more assertive on its claims, especially in the immediate neighbourhood,"

"China's known propensity for intervention in space- and cyber-warfare will be major planning considerations in our strategic and operational thinking," Mehta said during a lecture on 'National Security Challenges: An Overview'.When asked to comment on the widening gap between India and China, Mehta said, "It would be foolhardy to compare India and China as equals, considering that Beijing was in the process of "consolidating" its comprehensive national power and creating formidable military capabilities.

"It is quite evident that coping with China will certainly be one of our primary challenges in the years ahead. Our trust deficit with China can never be liquidated unless our boundary problems are resolved," the Navy chief added.

OneIndia News