‘Negotiations only way forward’: India on tensions with China along LAC

India on Thursday said the border tension in Ladakh over the past four months is a “direct result” of Chinese actions aimed at effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region, and asserted that the only way forward to resolve it was through negotiations. At an online media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the Chinese actions resulted in “violation” of the bilateral agreements and protocol which ensured peace and tranquility in the border areas for close to three decades. He urged the Chinese side to “sincerely” engage with India with the objective of “expeditiously” restoring the peace and tranquility in the border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols. “It is clear that the situation we witnessed over the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by the Chinese side that sought to effect unilateral change of status quo,” he said.