Border aggression to have repercussion: India warns China
Army Chief briefs defence minister I think there should be a realisation on the Chinese side that there is no gain in trying to alter the status quo on the ground, especially by resorting to force. — Vikram Misri, Indian envoy to China
As Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday briefed defence minister Rajnath Singh about the ground situation in the Ladakh sector, India’s ambassador to China said that the only way to resolve the military standoff at the border is if the Chinese “realise their responsibility in de-escalation and disengagement”, move back to their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and stop building new structures along the border.
Warning China that attempts to alter the status quo on the ground by resorting to force will not just damage the peace that existed in the border areas but can also have “ripples and repercussions” in the broader bilateral relationship, Vikram Misri, India’s ambassador to China, said in an interview to PTI in Beijing, “The resolution of this issue is quite straight forward from our perspective. The Chinese side needs to stop creating obstruction and hindrances in the normal patrolling patterns of the Indian troops.”
The Indian Army remains on alert at the LAC following reports that the Chinese Army is trying to put pressure on the Indian Army by engaging it at multiple fronts. In north Ladakh, the Chinese are trying to intrude into Depsang plains and Daulat Beg Oldie sector. The Indian Army has rushed its troops to prevent Chinese soldiers from crossing the LAC and target the Daulat Beg Oldie post which is close to Karakoram Pass and Aksai Chin. If the Chinese are able to intrude in the sector, in the long run it will be a threat to Indian Army posts in Siachen Glacier as well. The defence minister is scheduled to meet the PM to brief him about the situation at LAC and about his three-day trip to Russia, who has assured India about timely delivery of weapons and spares despite the coronavirus pandemic.
India on Friday warned China that trying to alter the status quo on the ground by resorting to force will not just damage the peace that existed on the border areas but can also have “ripples and repercussions” in the broader bilateral relationship, and demanded that Beijing stop its activities in eastern Ladakh.
The only way to resolve the current military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh was for Beijing to realise that trying to “change the status quo by resorting to force or coercion, is not the right way forward,” India’s ambassador to China Vikram Misri said in a hard-hitting interview to PTI.
Asserting that actions taken by the Chinese forces on the ground have damaged “considerable trust” in the bilateral relationship, the Indian ambassador added that it was entirely the responsibility of the Chinese side to take a careful view of the relations and to decide which direction the ties should move.
Noting that maintenance of peace and tranquillity “on the border is sine qua non for progress in the
rest of bilateral relationship between India and China”, Misri said: “The resolution of this issue is quite straight forward from our perspective. The Chinese side needs to stop
creating obstruction and hindrances in the normal patrolling patterns of the Indian troops,” he said.
He also rubbished China’s claim of sovereignty over Galwan Valley in Ladakh as “completely untenable”, and asserted that these kinds of exaggerated claims are not going to help the situation. “Whatever activities we may be carrying on have always been on our side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), so the Chinese need to stop activities to alter the status quo. It is very surprising that they should attempt to do so in a sector which has never before been a sector of concern,” he said.
Emphasising that India is “very aware and very clear about the alignment of the LAC in the Galwan Valley,” he said our troops have been patrolling up to these areas without any difficulty for a very very long period of time.
Mr Misri’s strong comments came in response to the recent claims by the Chinese military and the foreign ministry of sovereignty over Galwan Valley.
On the Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong’s assertion on Thursday that the onus is on India to deescalate tensions, Mr Misri said: “I think we have been very clear, and very consistent in pointing out that it has been Chinese actions over an extended period of time, that are responsible for the current situation”.