Published 16:18 IST, June 16th 2020
LAC faceoff: China claims India crossed border illegally, warns against unilateral action
On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on the violent faceoff at the LAC in which three Indian Army personnel were martyred.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on the violent faceoff at the LAC in which three Indian Army personnel were martyred. It mentioned that both countries had reached an important consensus on easing the situation in the border areas after the Commander-level meeting on June 6. Thereafter, it alleged that Indian troops crossed the border twice illegally and carried out provocative attacks on Chinese personnel, leading to serious physical conflict between the two forces.
It added that strong protests and solemn complaints had been lodged with the Indian side. It urged India to restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border or taking any unilateral action that might complicate the border situation.
At the same time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that both countries have agreed to resolve bilateral issues through talks and make efforts to ease the tension and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.
Here is the Chinese Foreign Ministry's full statement:
Three Indian Army personnel martyred
Three Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on Monday night when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. As per sources, no firing took place. Senior military officials of the two nations are currently meeting to defuse the tension. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the three service chiefs and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Later, Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the latest development.
India-China faceoff
Chinese military helicopters were spotted close to the border between India and China in eastern Ladakh after a clash between soldiers from both sides took place on two occasions. Thereafter, a fleet of Su-30 fighters of the Indian Air Force carried out sorties in the area. According to reports, Indian and Chinese Army personnel clashed along the northern bank of the Pangong Lake in Ladakh on May 5. Four days later, a face-off between the two sides was witnessed near Naku La Pass in Sikkim.
India and China have held more than a dozen rounds of talks to resolve the impasse. This includes the meeting between Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, the Commander of 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, who is the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of China's People's Liberation Army on June 6. Additionally, Major General-level talks took place on June 10.
Updated 16:18 IST, June 16th 2020