The Indian government on Tuesday accused China of trying to change the ‘status quo’ in the border area in Arunachal Pradesh following clashes last week, the first since 2020, while Beijing stressed that the situation «is generally stable».
The Indian Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, said during an appearance before Parliament that the incident ended without casualties or serious injuries among the Indian military and stressed that «China has been asked to avoid such actions and to maintain peace and tranquility on the border».
Thus, he stressed that the Chinese troops tried to take control of territories in Arunachal Pradesh, although he emphasized that the Indian forces forced their withdrawal after the fighting, according to the Indian newspaper ‘The Times of India’.
For his part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, said at a press conference that «the two sides have always maintained good communication on border issues through diplomatic and military channels».
Wang called on New Delhi to «meet China halfway» and to «consciously implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries». In this regard, he stressed the importance of «sticking to the spirit of the relevant agreements» to «maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas».
The tensions involve the mountainous territory of the northern Kashmir region, as well as some 60,000 square kilometers in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Line of Actual Control, which replaces the border between the two countries in that region, passes through Ladaj.
India and China engaged in a brief war over their border in 1962. India disputes China’s control over 38,000 square kilometers of land in Aksai Chin, which it claims is part of Ladaj. Beijing in turn claims 90,000 square kilometers of territory in Arunachal Pradesh, which it considers part of southern Tibet.
