Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, have called for the peaceful settlement of the border dispute, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday
BEIJING/NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2020) Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, have called for the peaceful settlement of the border dispute, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Ministers met in Moscow where they spent several days to attend the meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organization nations. The bilateral meeting was requested by Wei.
"The parties must scrupulously fulfill the important agreements reached by [Chinese] President Xi Jinping and [Indian] Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and firmly insist on the resolution of problems via dialogue and consultations," Wei said after the talks.
He expressed hope that the Indian party would respect the bilateral agreements; refrain from provocations, crossing the line of control and any other steps that may escalate the border tensions.
"The sides must take joint efforts and narrow their positions, promote the quick de-escalation of the current situation as well as ensure peace and stability near the Chinese-Indian border," Wei noted.
In turn, Singh stressed the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the border area as well as keeping communications channels between diplomats and the military open.
The minister hopes that the countries would manage to ensure the full separation of forces, avoid the steps that may de-escalate the situation as well as prevent the differences turning into conflicts.
The Indian defense minister also stated that China's actions along the border had violated bilateral agreements.
"RM [Raksha Mantri or a defense minister] emphasised that the actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing of large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements," the Indian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Singh also said that despite New Delhi's responsible approach to border management, India was ready to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
At the same time, Singh said that the ongoing border dispute should be handled responsibly by both sides and called for further negotiations.
"Raksha Mantri conveyed that the two sides should continue their discussions, including through diplomatic and military channels, to ensure complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC [Line of Actual Control] at the earliest," the Indian Defense Ministry added.
Border conflicts are a permanent fixture of India-China relations, as the countries do not have a marked border but rather the LAC, created after the 1962 war between the nations. However, the tensions became more strained as a result of skirmishes between the countries' border forces starting in May.
In order to normalize the situation, the commanders of the regional forces, as well as diplomats from both sides, conducted a series of negotiations resulting in the troops of both countries returning to their initial positions.
