China said yesterday it had reached a “positive consensus” with India over resolving tensions at the border between the two countries, where troops have faced off in recent weeks.
Tensions flare on a fairly regular basis between the two regional powers over their 3,500km frontier, which has never been properly demarcated.
Thousands of troops from the two countries have been involved in the latest face-off since May in Ladakh region, just opposite Tibet – before signs in recent days that a resolution was in sight.
A “positive consensus” on resolving the latest border issue was achieved following “effective communication” through diplomatic and military channels, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing.
“Currently both sides are taking appropriate actions to ease the border situation based on this consensus,” she said.
New Delhi said on Sunday that the two countries had agreed to “peacefully resolve” the border flare-up after a high-level meeting between army commanders.
India said the commanders agreed an “early resolution” was “essential” for relations between the world’s two most-populous nations.
In a statement India’s foreign ministry said the two sides would “continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”
Sources and Indian news reports suggest that India appears to have effectively ceded to China areas that the People’s Liberation Army occupied in recent weeks, notably parts of the northern side of the Pangong Tso lake and part of the strategically important Galwan river valley.
Press reports say that further talks are expected this week.
There have been numerous face-offs and brawls between Chinese and Indian soldiers at the frontier, but they have become more frequent in recent years.
On May 9, several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a high-altitude cross-border clash involving fists and stone-throwing in Sikkim state.
Indian officials said that within days, Chinese troops encroached over the demarcation line in the Ladakh region, further to the west, and India then moved in extra troops to positions opposite.
The two armies have since thinned out some forces in a positive signal but soldiers, tanks and other armoured carriers remained heavily deployed in the high-altitude region, an official said in New Delhi.
“There has been some kind of disengagement, there will be more talks to resolve this over the next days, it could be weeks even,” the official said.
Another Indian official said the Chinese military had moved back some tents and vehicles from the forward areas but there was still a large presence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have sought to ease the tensions at summits over the past two years when they agreed to boost border communications between their militaries.
Meanwhile, the Congress yesterday asked if the government has fixed accountability for failure to check the Chinese intrusion. The main opposition party said, ministers speak for matters related to other ministries but those concerned either keep quiet or address rallies instead.
Congress leader Manish Tewari, addressing a press conference yesterday, said, “Many experts have raised concern and the government should tell the nation whether the status quo prior to April 1, 2020 has been restored.”
Tewari also asked if then status quo has been maintained in Galwan valley and questioned, “How did the Chinese army enter Indian territory? Has the government fixed any accountability for this failure?”
“The prime minister should tell from May 20 till date, how much Indian territory have the Chinese occupied,” Tewari said.
He asked what was the extent of incursion at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“It’s astonishing how the defence minister has time for election rallies but not for addressing national security concerns,” he said.
The Congress also hit back at Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who attacked party leader Rahul Gandhi for asking questions related to Chinese intrusion on Twitter.
The party replied that the BJP used to do the same while in opposition and showed its leaders and the prime minister raised questions on Twitter in 2013.
