Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday said that India was prepared to counter if China decided to attack along the Line of Actual Control, ANI reported. “If they can get aggressive, we will also get aggressive,” Bhadauria said. “We are fully prepared.”

Bhadauria was speaking to the media in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, where India and France are carrying out joint air force drills. However, on being asked if the exercise with France was being carried out in the eastern border too, Bhadauria said that it was part of bilateral exercise, and were not part of action of any particular country, ANI reported.

Last month the air force chief had warned China that a serious conflict with India will not be good for it at the global level. Conceding that China had a “strong deployment” of radars, surface to air missiles and surface to surface missiles, along the border, Bhadauria had said that India had taken all actions that were required.

Meanwhile, military commanders of India and China are slated hold the ninth round of talks on Sunday to address the ongoing border standoff between the two countries in eastern Ladakh region. A day ahead of the talks, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India will not reduce the deployment of troops along the Line of Actual Control till China starts the process.

The tensions along the Line of Actual Control started with initial scuffles that led to a pitched battle – without firearms – in June that saw 20 Indian soldiers killed. Beijing, however, refused to release casualty numbers on its side. The two countries have held several rounds of talks to resolve the conflict but there has been no breakthrough.