Comments
Defence Ministers of India and China have held discussions regarding the on-going border dispute on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting.
An official statement said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met General Wei Fenghe, State Councillor and Defence Minister of China on Friday in Moscow. This happened on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.
“The two Ministers had frank and in-depth discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as on India-China relations,” the statement said.
Singh categorically conveyed India’s position on the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including in the Galwan valley in the western sector of the India-China border areas in the last few months.
“He emphasised that the actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing of large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements and not in keeping with the understandings reached between the Special Representatives of the two sides,” the statement said.
Singh also stated clearly that while the Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border management, there should be no doubt about their determination to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“State Councillor and Defence Minister of China said that both sides should scrupulously implement the consensus reached between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping and continue to solve the issues through dialogue and consultation, strictly follow the various bilateral agreements, strengthen the regulation of frontline troops and not undertake any provocative actions that might escalate the situation,” the statement said.
“The two sides should focus on the overall situation of India-China relations and work together to de-escalate the situation as soon as possible, and maintain peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas. The Chinese Defence Minister suggested that both sides should maintain communication at all levels including between the two ministers,” the statement added.
Singh said that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas was essential for the further development of bilateral relations and that the two sides should not allow differences to become disputes.
“Accordingly, the two sides should resolve the ongoing situation and outstanding issues in the border areas peacefully through dialogue. The Chinese Defence Minister conveyed that Chinese side too desired to resolve the issues peacefully,” the statement said.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.