Indian Foreign Ministry Urges China to Control Frontline Troops to Prevent Provocations

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday urged the Chinese side to discipline and control its frontline troops from engaging in provocative actions along the border in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake.

The ministry's comments came in light of a fresh incident between the two nations in the border region of Ladakh over the weekend. The Indian Defence Ministry said on Monday that there was another altercation with the Chinese forces, while Beijing accused Indian troops of crossing the line of control and thus undermining China’s territorial sovereignty.

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava noted that over the past three months, India and China had worked closely to resolve the border dispute and that the foreign ministers had agreed that the situation should be approached responsibly.

"The Chinese side, however, violated this understanding and engaged in provocative military manoeuvres in the late night of 29th and on 30th August in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake. As stated yesterday by the Indian Army, the Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC [Line of Actual Control] in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity," Srivastava said.
The diplomat added that due to timely defensive actions, the Indian side was able to prevent China's attempts to change the status quo.

"The actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquillity on the border. Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two Foreign Ministers as also the Special Representatives," Srivastava noted.
He added that New Delhi had urged Beijing to discipline and control their troops from committing such provocative actions.

Tensions over border disputes between the Asian giants came to a head in mid-June when a deadly brawl broke out between soldiers of both sides high up in the disputed Ladakh region. India has said that 20 of its soldiers died in the skirmish while an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers are believed to have perished. That was the first time in nearly 60 years that border disputes between the two, which have effectively never been settled, have resulted in fatalities.
 (Sputnik)
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