Reaching out to New Delhi amid rising tensions in Ladakh, China on Thursday said it was ready to work with India to deal with the stand-off. Beijing asked India to meet it halfway, asserting that “suspicion and friction” was a wrong path that goes against the fundamental aspirations of the people of the two countries.
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In an interview to PTI, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said India and China are able to manage their differences, but put the onus on New Delhi to ease the tension, calling upon the latter to avoid actions that may “complicate” the situation.
“We hope the Indian side meets the Chinese side halfway, avoids taking actions that may complicate the border situation and takes concrete actions to maintain stability in the border areas,” Mr. Sun said. He added that at present, the overall situation in the China-India border areas is “stable and controllable.”
The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last six weeks, and the tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15.
The Chinese Ambassador said “mutual respect and support” is a sure way and meets the long-term interests of both countries, but asserted that the onus was not on China to ease tensions in the region.
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“China and India are both large developing countries and emerging economies with more than one billion people, and both have the historic mission of realising our own development and revitalisation,” he said.
“The onus is not on China. The Indian side crossed the LAC (Line of Actual Control) for provocation and attacked the Chinese border troops. The Indian forces seriously violated agreements on border issues between the two countries,” he said.
In the course of the interview, Mr. Sun repeated the Chinese government’s stand — which has been rejected by India — that Ind