China, India to ease row on the border

CHINA and India have agreed to de-escalate the situation at their border as soon as possible following a clash between their troops, the Chinese foreign ministry said yesterday.

In a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Wang Yi suggested that China and India strengthen communication and coordination on properly addressing the border situation and jointly maintain the peace and tranquility in the areas.

Wang said that Indian front-line border defense troops on Monday night blatantly broke the consensus reached at the commander-level talks between the militaries of the two sides.

Under the circumstance that the current situation in the Galwan Valley has eased, the Indian troops once again crossed the Line of Actual Control for deliberate provocation, and even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went to the terrain for negotiation, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties.

The clash left 20 Indian soldiers dead, according to India’s military, while the casualties of the Chinese side remains unclear so far.

Wang said the hazardous move of the Indian army severely violated the agreement reached between the two countries on the border issue and the basic norms of international relations.

China demands that India carry out a thorough investigation into the incident, severely punish those who should be held accountable, strictly discipline Indian front-line troops, and immediately stop all provocative actions so as to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, Wang said.

He stressed that acts of mutual respect and mutual support conform to the long-term interests of both the countries, whereas those of mutual distrust and friction go against the aspiration of the two peoples.

He suggested that China and India follow the consensuses reached by the leaders of the two countries and leverage such existing channels as meetings between the two countries’ representatives on the boundary issue and meetings between border troops.

Jaishankar said India is also willing to peacefully resolve disputes in the border areas through dialogue and ease tensions there.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson from the Chinese foreign ministry, earlier said the overall situation on the border is “stable and controllable.”

(Agencies)