Modi sends strong message to China as tensions continue

Indian forces 'gave a befitting reply,' PM says in Independence Day speech

20200815 India Modi 74th Independence Day - captured image from Doordarshan National

This image from Doordarshan National TV shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation during its 74th Independence Day in New Delhi.

KIRAN SHARMA, Nikkei staff writer

August 15, 2020 15:43 JST

NEW DELHI -- Amid a tense border standoff with China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the country's armed forces have replied forcefully to those trying to challenge India's sovereignty.

Modi's remarks came in his Independence Day speech from the capital's historic Red Fort, two months after 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops died in clashes along their disputed border in the Himalayan region of Ladakh.