Indian Army to learn Mandarin language to 'engage properly' with Chinese army on the border

The Centre said more steps are being taken to boost infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh and along the borders for the security forces

Indian troops and officers deployed for guarding the borders with China will now learn Mandarin language to "engage properly" with their Chinese counterparts.

The 4 Corps of Indian Army, based at Tezpur in Assam on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tezpur University, a central University for teaching Mandarin language to the Indian Army personnel and officers.

"The Chinese language course will improve the in-house Mandarin expertise and empower the army personnel to engage with the Chinese military personnel as and when the situation demands. With improved Chinese language skills, the army personnel will be better empowered to convey their points in a much more cogent manner," said a statement issued by the Army on Wednesday.

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Tezpur is close to Arunachal Pradesh, one of the states sharing a border with China. China has many times claimed that Arunachal Pradesh is part of its South Tibet region. But India has also rejected the claim saying that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country and any attempt to encroach on its border would be dealt with strongly. Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh had witnessed a skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops in December last year.

The Centre has said that more steps are being taken to boost infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh and along the borders for the security forces and equip them with facilities to aggressively tackle the Chinese threat.

The Army statement, however, said the 16-week course will also help in better exchange of view points and understanding of the Chinese PLA’s version of their activities during various interactions such as commander-level talks, flag meetings, joint exercises, and border personnel meetings.

The MoU was signed by 4 Corps headquarters on behalf of the Indian Army and the Registrar, Tezpur University in the presence of the Vice Chancellor Prof SN Singh, said the statement.