BEIJING, June 17 (APP):China on Wednesday confirmed communication with India through diplomatic and military channels to resolve border dispute but once again urged the Indian side to stop provocative activities including crossing of Line of Actual Control (LAC) and taking unilateral actions that may further complicate the current situation.
“We once again solemnly ask Indian side to act on our consensus, strictly discipline its frontline troops, not cross the LAC, not make provocations and not take unilateral actions that may complicate this situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular briefing.
Responding to a flurry of questions about the China-India border clash on June 15 in Galwan region, he said that recently to ease the border situation, both China and India have been in close communication through diplomatic and military channels.
“On June 06, the two border troops had Commander level meeting and reached important consensus on easing the border situation, but astonishingly, on June 15, the Indian troops seriously violated the consensus, crossed the LAC for illegal activities and provoked and attacked Chinese personnel, which led to fierce physical confrontation between the two sides’ border troops and resulted in casualties,” he added.
Zhao said that after the incident, China had lodged strong protests and stern representations with the Indian side. And both sides agreed to resolve this related matter though dialogue and consultation and make efforts to ease the border situation and safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.
About the latest clash during which at least 20 Indian soldiers died, he informed that both the countries have been in close communication to resolve the relevant matters through diplomatic and military channels.
He said that after the Tuesday clash, the spokesperson of Chin’s Western Theatre Command made a statement on the incident.
According to the statement, “On the night of June 15, at the Galwan valley area at the China-India border, Indian troops again crossed the LAC for illegal activities and deliberately launched provocations and attacks which led to fierce physical confrontation and resulted in casualties.”
“The sovereignty of the Galwan valley area has always belonged to China.
The Indian border troops flip-flopped and seriously violated our bilateral protocol on our border related issues and the consensus of our Commander-level talks which severely undermined our military-to-military relations and feeling of our two people.”
Zhao said that the spokesperson of Western Theatre Command in the statement asked India to strictly discipline its frontline troops, stop all infringing and provocative activities at once, work with China and come back to the right track to resolving differences through dialogue and talks.
Regarding Indian military’s claim about China’s casualties during the clash between the troops, he said that the two sides’ border troops are now jointly dealing with the matter on ground, adding, “I have nothing to add at the moment.”
On the situation at the China-India border at the Galwan valley where the clash took place, he said that both sides are having close communication with each other on resolving this relevant matter through diplomatic and military channels and added, “The overall border situation is stable and controllable.”
Regarding a question about sovereignty over the Galwan valley area, he said, “We are having communication through diplomatic and military channels. And the right and wrong of this is very clear – this incident happened at the Chinese side of the LAC – and China is not to blame for this.”
To a question, he said, “I believe you have noticed that after this incident, China and India have both said that we are committed to resolving differences through dialogue and safeguarding peace and tranquility in the border area.”
Zhao remarked that as the world’s two biggest emerging economies and developing countries, the shared interest of China and India are far larger than the differences.
“Both sides should earnestly follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and ensure that the bilateral relation can move forward in the right direction, that serves our peoples’ interests and expectations,” he said and hoped that hope India can work with China to this end.
To yet another question regarding no further escalations between the two countries at the border, he said that “From Chinese side, we do not wish to see more clashes.”
The disputed border covers nearly 2,200 miles of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control.
Though skirmishes are not new along the frontier, the standoff at Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China, has escalated in recent weeks.
