Indian Navy Chief; Neither Capability nor Intention to Match China Militarily

Retiring Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta has stated that his country is no match for China on the defense front. The Hindustan Times states;

It is rare for service chiefs in India to articulate their concerns loudly. The government disapproves of it. But when a chief makes such a prophesy, he has to be taken seriously.

He said Beijing was in the process of consolidating its comprehensive national power and creating formidable military capability. “Once that is done, China is likely to be more assertive on its claims, especially in the immediate neighbourhood,” said Mehta, who as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, is the country’s senior most military commander...

Mehta backed his claims with figures. He said India’s annual defence expenditure of roughly $30 billion paled in front of China’s defence spending. He said the Americans pegged China’s defence budget between $70 billion and $200 billion.