India asks China to pull back troops:

India’s defense minister said Thursday the country faces challenges in its border dispute with China and urged Beijing to sincerely implement an understanding they reached previously to completely disengage forces from the Ladakh region.

Rajnath Singh told the upper house of Parliament that China has amassed troops and weapons in Ladakh in violation of agreements reached in the 1990s and is trying to alter the status quo in the region through aggressive actions.

He said that was not acceptable and that India is seeking a peaceful resolution through talks.

The two countries’ foreign ministers met in Moscow a week ago and agreed to deescalate tensions in Ladakh, but Singh’s words to Parliament suggested they have not significantly declined and that settling the impasse will be a long process.

He also said India has counter-deployed troops that have foiled “transgression attempts by China.”

“We should be confident that our armed forces will handle the situation successfully,” Singh said. (AP)