COMMENT WON’T HELP PRESERVE PEACE: CHINA

BEIJING: China on Monday criticised Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat for his recent comments, saying they were “unconstructive” and went against the consensus reached by leaders of both nations to bring ties back on track and preserve peace on the border.

The Chinese reaction came following comments by General Rawat two days ago that India needs to shift focus from its border with Pakistan to that of China and spoke of pressure being exerted by Beijing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“Last year, India-china relations have witnessed some twists and turns but Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting last September reached a consensus to bring the ties back on track,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said here.

Lu also said recent efforts by both countries to enhance dialogue on consultation have shown sound momentum of improvement and development.

“Under such background, the unconstructive remarks by the Indian senior official (Rawat) not only go against the consensus reached by the two heads of state but also do not conform to the efforts made by the two sides to improve and develop bilateral relations,” Lu said.

The remarks “cannot help to preserve tranquillity and peace at the border areas,” he said.