China gradually taking over territory, testing India's threshold: Army Chief

This comes after just days after  both India and China have agreed to disengage border personnel at Doklam in Sikkim border.

"As far as the Northern adversary is concerned, flexing of muscles has started. Salami slicing, taking over territory in a very gradual manner, testing our limits or threshold is something we have to be wary about. Remain prepared for situations that are emerging gradually into conflict," Rawat told media about China.

“Whether these conflicts will be confined or limited in space and time or whether these can expand into an all-out war along the entire front (remains to be seen)…with the western adversary taking advantage of the situation developing along the northern border is very much likely,” he said.

Just days before, India and China had engaged in military standoff at the Bhutan-India-China tri-junction in Doklam.

Dokhlam is a disputed territory claimed by both Bhutan and China, where the Indian Army personnel had reached to stop China from building a road.

China had earlier accused India of trespassing into its territory and demanded withdrawal of troops leading to a prolonged standoff.

While India and Bhutan had said the land belongs to the tiny Himalayan kingdom and that the Indian troops were there at the request of Bhutan, China earlier warned that it will not accept any dialogue till Indian soldiers pull out from Doklam.

During the ongoing standoff, Chinese troops clashed with their Indian counterparts in Ladakh on August 16.

Soldiers from both the countries received injuries as they were involved in stone pelting along the line of control in eastern Ladakh.

Both the countries were seen to be involved in rhetoric related to the Doklam standoff.

China had threatened India with the possibility of a war as the former reminded the latter's defeat in the 1962 Indo-Sino war.

India retaliated verbally saying the nation is no longer the same as 1962.