India yesterday said its soldiers thwarted “provocative” movements by China’s military near a disputed border in the Ladakh region months into the rival nations’ deadliest standoff in decades.
Local military commanders from the two countries were meeting along the disputed frontier yesterday to resolve the issues, the Indian Ministry of Defense said.
India is committed to dialogue, “but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity,” it said.
The statement said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Saturday night “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” and “violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements” to settle the standoff in the region.
In Beijing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said border forces were communicating over recent matters, but gave no details.
“Chinese border troops always act in strict compliance with the Line of Actual Control, and have never crossed the line for any activities,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing.
The Indian ministry issued its statement after a gap of a day and did not give details of the nature of the new incident.
Indian troops “undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on [the] ground,” it said.
It said the activity took place on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, a glacial lake divided by the de facto frontier between the rivals and where the India-China face-off began in early May on the lake’s northern flank.
Indian military experts said the latest incident occurred in Chushul sector, where the two sides were generally respecting each other’s positions.
“After relative calm, China has suddenly opened a fresh, brand new front. It’s a huge provocation,” said Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda, the Indian military’s northern commander.
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