Hua Chunying, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, has denied allegations of China having provoked conflict, as tensions soared at the LAC, with Indian Army announcing that it had taken measures to consolidate their position and thwart Chinese intentions to change the status quo in the Pangong Tso region in Ladakh.
“China never provoked any war or conflict and never occupied an inch of other country’s territory. China border troops never crossed the line. Perhaps there are some communication issues.”Hua Chunying
She further added that she thought both sides should stick to the facts.
“I think both sides should stick to facts and have goodwill in maintaining the bilateral relations and take concrete measures to safeguard peace, tranquillity along the border,” Chunying said.
Brigade-Commander Level Meeting
A Brigade-Commander level Flag meeting took place in Ladakh's Chushul on Monday, 31 August, amid reports of another clash between China and India.
NSA Ajit Doval, along with top officials, reviewed the situation at India-China border, reported ANI, citing sources. Defence Minister Rajnath SIngh is likely to call another high level meeting later on Monday.
Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy in India, in a statement, said that "Indian troops illegally trespassed LAC again". It further said that “China has made solemn representations” to India and urged India to “strictly control and restrain its frontline troops.”
China asked India to immediately withdraw troops and put an end to any actions leading to escalation.
What Had Happened?
Chinese troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements on the night of 29-30 August and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo, the Indian Army said in a statement on Monday, in a fresh sign of escalating tensions between the neighbouring countries in eastern Ladakh.
“Indian troops preempted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” Colonel Aman Anand, PRO, Indian Army, said in the statement.
"The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity. A Brigade Commander-level flag meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues," the statement added.
According to army sources cited by news agency ANI, there has been no physical clash between Indian and Chinese troops near the southern bank of Pangong Tso so far.
Troops Never Crossed LAC: Chinese Military
Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted to this saying that its troops have never crossed the LAC, CGTN reported. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied the Indian Army’s claim, saying Chinese troops always abide by the LAC.
Instead, it said that the Indian Army illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control on Monday – “a provocative move that violated the previous consensus,” CGTN reported, quoting Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the PLA Western Theater Command.
Reuters reported that the Chinese military has strongly demanded India withdraw its troops from the China-India border in order to avoid escalation of tension. The report also said that the Chinese military spokesman said China is taking countermeasures and will safeguard its territorial sovereignty.
The Background
This comes more than two months after the clashes between the two sides in Galwan Valley in June, in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. Since then, several meetings at both the military and the diplomatic levels have taken place to defuse the tension, with limited disengagement in some areas.
Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that the standoff situation with China is "surely the most serious situation after 1962."
“In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border. The quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) is also unprecedented,” the External Affairs minister had told Rediff.com in an interview.
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