NEW DELHI: British Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin Tuesday said his country sees Russia as an acute threat but China as a competitor and a challenge.
When asked at the Raisina Dialogue-2022 if the Ukraine-Russia war is to China's advantage as the West is distracted from the China question, Radakin responded, "I think we have to be really careful about these conclusions in terms of China."
"This is a conflict with Russia. The UK's position is very different. In our integrated review, we declared Russia as an acute threat, and we made a clear distinction about the language in terms of China -- as a competitor and a challenge," he added.
"When you transgress international rules, it leads to all kinds of consequences," he said.
He said when somebody invokes a war which according to him is an ugly and unpredictable beast, it leads to a whole series of other consequences.
"If you are another nation contemplating an illegitimate use of force, Russia's current situation is a cautionary one," he said.
The militaries of India and China have been in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh for the past 23 months following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas on May 5, 2020.
Each side currently has around 50,000-60,000 troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The Raisina Dialogue is India's premier foreign policy conference.
This year it is being held between April 25 and April 27.