Chennai: India will not reduce the number of troops unless China initiates the process Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said over the eastern Ladakh standoff while exuding confidence of finding a solution to the row through talks. The Defence Minister also said India is developing infrastructure in border areas at a very fast rate adding China has objected to some of the projects. “Reduction in the number of troops wont happen. India wont reduce troops deployment unless China initiates the process” he said. When asked about the dialogue process with China on the row Rajnath said “There is no deadline when it comes to matter like the ongoing standoff. You cant fix a date. We are confident of finding a solution through talks.” About a news report that China was constructing a village in Arunachal Pradesh the defence minister said it was along the border and that such infrastructure has been developed for several years. “Now India has also started constructing infrastructure near the LAC at a fast pace considering the requirements of the locals as well as our forces. We are developing our infrastructure at a very fast rate” he said. When referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankars observation that ties with China is at its lowest point in four decades and asked whether Beijing has broken Indias trust Singh said Without a doubt they broke our trust. Referring to the next round of military talks he said China recently proposed a dialogue on 19 January. “We received the information a day before the proposed meet so we asked the Chinese side to reschedule the meet on 23 or 24 January. India is always open to dialogue” he said.

Stay updated with all the Chennai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.