China violates agreement, engages in provocative military maneuvers: India
The Ministry also said that even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops on August 31 “again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo.”
By IAR Desk
New Delhi: September 1, 2020: India has affirmed that Chinese troops have engaged in provocative military activities in Eastern Ladakh which has led to an escalation of tensions on the LAC on the night of 29th and on 30th August. The objective was to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake.
Such actions were a violation of earlier agreement reached by both sides to refrain from taking any provocative or unilateral action on the LAC.
“India and China have been closely engaged through diplomatic and military channels over the past three months to resolve the situation along the India-China border. It would also be recalled that earlier the two Foreign Ministers and the two Special Representatives had agreed that the situation should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters and ensure peace and tranquility as per bilateral agreements and protocol.
The Chinese side however, violated this understanding and engaged in provocative military maneuvers in the late night of 29th and on 30th August in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake,” Anurag Shrivastava, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced.
The Indian Army had on Monday, August 31, put out a statement saying “On the night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.”.
It said Indian troops had “pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs today reaffirmed this, saying the Chinese side had “engaged in provocative military maneuvers in the late night of 29th and on 30th August in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake”.
The Ministry also said that even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops on August 31 “again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo.”
Condemning Chinese actions along the LAC since April this year which led to casualties in June, the Ministry said “Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two Foreign Ministers as also the Special Representatives”.
India has taken up the matter with the Chinese side through both diplomatic and military channels and have “urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday, August 31, said Chinese border troops have always strictly observed the Line of Actual Control and have never crossed the line. The border troops of the two countries have been in communication over territory issues.
China’s Western Theatre Command is also reported to have said that Indian troops once again illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control near the south bank of the Pangong Lake and Reqin mountain pass on Monday, a blatant provocative move that seriously infringed on China’s territorial sovereignty, and undermined peace and stability in the China-India border area.
India has said that it is firmly “committed to resolve all outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector through peaceful dialogue” and similarly expects the Chinese side to abide by understandings reached earlier by both sides to not undertake provocative actions and to earnestly work with India “to resolve the situation and to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
The latest flare up, indicating “pre-emptive” measures undertaken by India signals a new chapter in India China border engagement. While diplomatic channels are working, the theatre for further confrontation may also be widening.
The latest flare up came soon after India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat last week stated that India has “military options” to deal with the Chinese on the issue of transgressions if talks between both the countries at the military and diplomatic level don’t yield any results.
