India on Friday warned China that trying to alter the status quo on the ground by resorting to force would not just damage the peace that existed in the border areas but could also have “ripples and repercussions” in the broader bilateral relationship. It demanded that Beijing stop its activities in eastern Ladakh.
The only way to resolve the current stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh is for Beijing to realise that trying to “change the status quo by resorting to force or coercion is not the right way forward,” India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Misri said in an interview.
Ladakh face-off | Noticeable thinning of Chinese troop presence along LAC, says govt official
The actions taken by the Chinese forces on the ground in eastern Ladakh have damaged “considerable trust” in the bilateral relationship, he said. It was China’s responsibility to take a careful view of the relations and decide which direction the ties should move, he said.
‘Straight forward’
Noting that maintenance of peace and tranquillity “on the border is sine qua non for progress in the rest of bilateral relationship”, Mr. Misri said: “The resolution of this issue is quite straight forward from our perspective. The Chinese side needs to stop creating obstruction and hindrances in the normal patrolling patterns of the Indian troops,” he said.
Mr. Misri also termed China’s claim of sovereignty over the Galwan Valley “completely untenable” and asserted that these kinds of exaggerated claims were not going to help the situation.
Whatever activities we may be carrying on have always been on our side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), so the Chinese need to stop activities to alter the status quo. It is very surprising that they should attempt to do so in a sector which has never before be