New Delhi (NVI): India today said that it remains committed to the objective of maintaining peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas, days after face-offs between Indian and Chinese soldiers.
MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that such face-offs could have been avoided if both sides had a common perception of LAC (Line of Actual Control).
“Occasionally however on account of difference in perception of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC,” he said.
To recall, Indian and Chinese troops clashed with each other on May 5 in Pangong Tso area in Eastern Ladakh.
There was a similar face-off four days later near Naku La pass in North Sikkim. Some soldiers from both sides had sustained minor injuries in the clash.
Responding to media queries on the developments on LAC, the MEA spokesperson also referred to the informal summits between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan (2018) and in Chennai (2019).
He said that the two leaders had reaffirmed that both sides will continue to make efforts to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas. “This is essential for the overall development of the bilateral relations,” he added.
“The two leaders had also directed their militaries to earnestly implement various confidence building measures agreed upon between the two sides, including the principle of mutual and equal security, and strengthen existing institutional arrangements and information sharing mechanisms to prevent incidents in border regions. As a result, India-China border has largely been peaceful,” Srivastava said.
The MEA spokesman added that the two sides have established mechanisms to resolve such situations as and when they arise including Border Personnel Meeting, Flag Meetings, and Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs as well as diplomatic channels.
Indian and Chinese soldiers have clashed with each other in the past as well. In 2017, Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army.
