NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the past four months is a direct result of Chinese actions.
“It is clear that the situation we witness over the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by the Chinese side that sought to effect unilateral change of status quo. These actions resulted in violation of the bilateral agreements and protocol which ensured peace and tranquility in the border areas for close to three decades,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
He said, “Now the way ahead is negotiations, both through the diplomatic and military channels. The Indian side is firmly committed to resolving all outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue,” he said.
On Tuesday, India said that the Chinese side had resorted aggression on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh even as commander-level talks were being held to resolve the issue which had arisen due to the attempted transgression of the Chinese troops on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. New Delhi and Beijing have blamed each other for the latest flare up in tensions along the LAC.
While India has accused China of trying to unilaterally change the status quo, the Chinese side has accused Indian troops of illegally crossing the LAC into Chinese territory.
Srivastava reiterated the consensus reached between the two foreign ministers and special representatives and said that the issue at the border should be handled in a responsible manner.
“Either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters. We therefore strongly urge the Chinese side to engage Indian side with the objective of expeditiously restoring the peace and tranquility in the border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols,” he said.
India ready to hold Quad meet later this year
India on Thursday said it was ready to hold a meeting of the Quad later this year and that details of the same are being worked out.
The confirmation from the Indian side comes weeks after US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said that a ministerial level meeting of the Quad would be held in New Delhi.
The Quad is a grouping comprising US, India, Japan and Australia.