Rejecting China’s allegations that India’s troops had crossed the border on the Ladakh and Sikkim frontier, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, 21 May, stated that it is in fact the Chinese border troops that are “attempting to unilaterally change the status quo of border territory”.
“Any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across the LAC in the western sector or the Sikkim sector is not accurate. Indian troops are fully familiar with the alignment of the LAC in the India-China border areas and abide by it scrupulously.”Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson, as quoted by The Tribune
China had earlier claimed that Indian troops had entered Chinese soil on the Baijing and Lujin duan section of the Sino-Indian border.
Stating that India has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management, the MEA added that at the same time, it was “deeply committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and security”.
Tensions between India and China once again flared after the border troops of both the countries came to blows near Pangong Tso in May 2020. This was followed by two rounds of inconclusive talks between the military commanders from both sides with China reportedly warning of “necessary counter-measures”.
According to official data, India witnessed 170 Chinese transgressions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the first four months of 2020. 130 of these were in Ladakh, reported The Indian Express.
2019 reportedly saw 633 instances of transgressions, a big surge from 2018 which witnessed 404 such instances.
White House Criticises China for Coercive Military Activities
The White House backed India’s claims and hit out at China on Thursday. It stated that China was engaged in provocative and coercive military and paramilitary activities with neighbouring countries including India.
A report submitted to the US Congress titled, ‘United States Strategic Approach to the People’s Republic of China’, said,
“Beijing contradicts its rhetoric and flouts its commitments to its neighbours by engaging in provocative and coercive military and paramilitary activities in the Yellow Sea, the East and South China Seas, the Taiwan Strait, and Sino-Indian border areas.”The White House report
The report further stated that, “As China has grown in strength, so has the willingness and capacity of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to employ intimidation and coercion in its attempts to eliminate perceived threats to its interests and advance its strategic objectives globally.”
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