All attempts by the Chinese side to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector since mid-May 2020 met with an “appropriate response” from Indian troops, the government said in Parliament on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said there had been an “enhanced deployment of troops and armaments by the Chinese side” in border areas and along the LAC in the western sector since April-May last year.
“Since mid-May the Chinese side attempted to transgress the LAC in several areas of the Western Sector of the India-China border area. These attempts were invariably met with an appropriate response from us,” he said while replying to a question from BJP lawmaker Sangam Lal Gupta.
To address issues arising from attempts to transgress the LAC, India and China have engaged in discussions through established military and diplomatic channels, Muraleedharan said.
Senior military commanders from both sides held eight meetings last year, on June 6, June 22, June 30, July 14, August 2, September 21, October 12, November 6, and one meeting this year, on January 24.
{{/usCountry}}Senior military commanders from both sides held eight meetings last year, on June 6, June 22, June 30, July 14, August 2, September 21, October 12, November 6, and one meeting this year, on January 24.
{{/usCountry}}The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs (WMCC) held six meetings last year, on June 24, July 10, July 24, August 20, September 30 and December 18.
Muraleedharan also outlined the contacts between top leaders of India and China to address the border standoff. Defence minister Rajnath Singh met Chinese defence minister Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow on September 4 last year and said that the two sides should “resolve the ongoing situation and outstanding issues in the border areas peacefully through dialogue”.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10 last year, and both ministers had a “frank and constructive discussion on the developments in the India-China border areas and reached a five-point agreement to address the ongoing issues along the LAC”, Muraleedharan said.
The two foreign ministers agreed that the “current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side”. They also agreed “therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions”, Muraleedharan said.
Despite several rounds of talks through diplomatic and military channels, the two sides are yet to make any headway on disengagement and de-escalation at friction points in Ladakh sector of the LAC.