Committed to peace: China on LAC face-off
Beijing: China on Monday sought to downplay the confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Sikkim’s Naku La over the weekend, saying the two countries
Beijing: China on Monday sought to downplay the confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Sikkim’s Naku La over the weekend, saying the two countries should jointly uphold peace and handle differences.
The Indian army on Sunday confirmed an HT report on the clash and said a “heated confrontation took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers in north Sikkim on Saturday, resulting in injuries to troops on both sides”. The troops disengaged after talks at the local army level.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not share details about the clash but attempted to subtly shift the blame to the Indian side, saying Chinese soldiers were always upholding peace and tranquillity along the border. “China and India stay in close communication and coordination concerning our border affairs within existing channels,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular briefing on Monday.
He referred to the 70th anniversary of India-China diplomatic ties this year and added the two countries were joining hands in the fight against Covid-19. “Under such circumstances, the two sides should work together with each other, properly manage and handle the differences, earnestly uphold peace and stability in border region so as to create enabling conditions for our bilateral relations as well as the joint fight against Covid-19.”
Zhao denied suggestions that Beijing was adopting an aggressive approach in its diplomacy as it is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, which originated from China. “The relevant assumption is groundless,” he said in response to a question on it. “Since the outbreak of the Covid-19, China and India have been staying in close communication and cooperation on prevention and control, to jointly meet the challenges.”
He called solidarity and cooperation against Covid-19 the most pressing concern for the international community. “We shouldn’t allow any politicisation or stigmatisation in a bid to create more differences or confrontation.”
India and China have held a dozen rounds of talks to resolve the dispute over the 3,488 km border between the two countries stretching from Jammu & Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. The longstanding border dispute led to the 1962 India-China war.
In 2017, China accused India of trespass and preventing its troops from building a road in the Himalayan Doklam plateau, which is under the Chinese control but claimed by Bhutan. The standoff began in June 2017 and ended after 73 days with the withdrawal of troops from both sides.
Qian Feng, a senior fellow at the Taihe Institute, a think tank, said the China-India border issue was a leftover from the past and both sides had a different perception about it. “Despite this, the two countries’ leaderships and related authorities have established communication mechanisms. Their effectiveness was demonstrated by this incident as the problem was solved at the local level and did not escalate to a national level,” Qian told Chinese state media.
