BEIJING, Sept 29 (APP): China on Tuesday said that it had not recognize the Union Territory of Laddakh illegally establish by India and opposed to conducting infrastructure development for military purposes in the border areas.
“China has not recognized Union Territory of Ladakh illegally set up by the Indian side. We are opposed to conducting infrastructure development for military purposes in the border area,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing in response to construction of roads by Indian authorities along the border.
He said that based on the two sides consensus, no side should engage in the border areas in any activities that might complicate the situation to avoid undermining two sides efforts to ease the situation.
To yet another question, he dismissed the reports that China had already carried out massive development of infrastructure on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as well as Indian claim that it was catching up laying road network in its side.
He said, first, some institutions once released the so-called information on new military bases or facilities China had built on its side. Such reports were completely false. They were driven by ulterior motives. Second, “China consistently and strictly abides by the agreements signed with the Indian side.”
“We are committed to maintaining peace and stability along the border with India and at the same time, we firmly safeguard our sovereignty, territorial integrity and security,” he added.
Wang remarked that for a long time, the Chinese side had been conducting activities on the Chinese side of the LAC and they had always complied with relevant agreements.
“We hope the Indian side will work for the same purpose, together with China to achieve the cooling of temperature on the ground and to prevent adding complex factors to the two sides’ concerted efforts to ease the situation,” he added.
Previously, China and India had reached a five-point consensus regarding the current situation that both sides should take guidance from the series of consensus of the leaders on developing India-China relations, including not allowing differences to become disputes.
The militaries of the two countries also held sixth round of commander level talks and exchanged in-depth views on easing the current situation on the border areas.
It may be mentioned that the Chinese and Indian soldiers recently engaged in the most serious border clashes since they fought a war in 1962, leaving as many as 20 Indian soldiers dead during the fight in June.
China held India responsible for the incidents, calling the actions by Indian border troops “infringing and provocative.”
The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast.
The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s without success.
