India, China should take concrete measures to safeguard peace at LAC: Beijing

BEIJING: India and China should have goodwill in maintaining bilateral ties and take concrete measures to safeguard peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"I think both sides should stick to facts and have goodwill in maintaining the bilateral relations and take concrete measures to safeguard peace and tranquillity along the border," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press conference here.

She claimed China never occupied an inch of other country's territory and its troops never crossed the line.

"China never provoked any war or conflict and never occupied an inch of other country's territory. Chinese troops never crossed the line. Perhaps there are some communication issues," Hua said.

The Indian Army has thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday and talks are being held now to resolve the issue there, an Indian Army spokesperson said on Monday.

"On the night of August 29-30, People's Liberation Army troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," said Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement.

The Indian Army took measures to strengthen its position and "and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground".

In response, the Chinese Embassy in India today claimed that Indian troops "illegally trespassed" the LAC, which "damaged" peace and tranquillity along the border.

"On August 31, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas," said a spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Ji Rong, in a statement.

"India's move has grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquillity along the China-India border areas," she added.

The spokesperson said China has made solemn representations to the Indian side and urged the latter to "stop any actions", which could further escalate the situation at the border.

India and China are engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.

Negotiations between the two sides have been going on for the last three months, including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.