India warns China of serious impact on ties, Modi talks of ‘befitting’ reply
China alleges Indian soldiers trespassed, says New Delhi must investigate incident and get its border troops to behave
› India’s integrity and sovereignty is supreme for us... Nobody should have any iota of doubt about this. India wants peace. But on provocation, India will give a befitting reply ›
...the sacrifice made by our soldiers will not go in vain. The country will be proud...that our soldiers have been martyred while they were fighting
NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister
NEWDELHI/BEIJING: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would giveabefittingreplytoanyprovocation even as New Delhi and Beijing on Wednesday spoke of the need to avoid actions that could escalate matters along their disputed border, two days after a violent face-off left 20 Indian soldiers dead.
Both sides again traded charges on what triggered Monday night’s face-off in Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the focus of the current tensions, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar telling his counterpart Wang Yi in a phone conversation the Chinese side’s “pre-meditated and planned action” was behind the violence and casualties.
This was the first time Jaishankar spoke to Wang since the stand-off began in early May and marked the highest political contact to address the tensions after talks between military commanders failed to break the impasse.
The Indian readout of the conversation said, “Neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreementsandprotocols.”Both sides agreed to handle the situation in a “responsible manner” and sincerely implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 between army commanders. China’s foreign ministry said
the two sides had agreed to “cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible”, observe the consensus reached at the commander-level meeting, maintain peace and tranquillity in line with existing agreements, and to “fairly address the serious situation caused by the conflict in the Galwan Valley”.
However, addressing a virtual meeting with chief ministers on the Covid-19 crisis, Prime Minister Modi said India wanted peace but wouldn’t hesitate to respond to any provocation.
“India’s integrity and sovereignty is supreme for us, and no one can stop us from defending it. Nobody should have any iota of doubt about this. India wants peace. But on provocation, India will give a befitting reply,” he said, speaking in Hindi.
The meeting observed two minutes silence to pay tribute to the 20 soldiers killed in the faceoff, and Modi said, “I want to assure the nation that the sacrifice made by our soldiers will not go in vain. The country will be proud of the fact that our soldiers have been martyred while they were fighting.”
“Whatever may be the situation and circumstances, India will firmly protect every inch of the country’s land and its self-respect. India is culturally a peaceloving country…We have always worked closely with our neighbours in a cooperative and friendly manner. We have always wished for their development and welfare,” he added.
India has tried to ensure that differences with neighbours never turned into a dispute, he said, adding: “We never provoke anyone, but we also do not compromise with the integrity and sovereignty of our country. Whenever it was needed, we have demonstrated our strength, proving our capabilities in protecting and defending the integrity and sovereignty of the country.
On Wednesday, Indian and Chinese delegations led by major generals met in eastern Ladakh to defuse tensions, two officials said.
This was their sixth meeting after the stand-off began. Officials said the talks failed to achieve any breakthrough. While Indian and Chinese troops disengaged from the face-off site, both sides continue to maintain military presence in the disputed area. The June 15 brawl left 76 Indian soldiers wounded.