Defence ministers of India and China have met in Moscow as the two Asian powers try to resolve rising tensions along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region on September 4. However, the next day the Chinese government claimed that India was “entirely” responsible for the border stand-off in Ladakh
Neither side gave details of the meeting between India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and China’s General Wei Fenghe – the first high-level contact between the two sides since the standoff erupted months ago in the Himalayan region, where a clash in June killed 20 Indian soldiers.
The ministers met on the sidelines of a gathering of the defence chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which comprises China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
“Peace and security in the region demands a climate of trust, non-aggression, peaceful resolution of differences and respect for international rules,” Singh said at the meeting.
Wei told Singh the two nations should “cool down” the situation and “maintain peace and tranquility,” the Chinese defence ministry said on its website.
However, it said responsibility for the tension “lies completely with India”. “Not one inch of Chinese territory can be lost,” the Chinese ministry said.
The disputed 3,500-km (2,175-mile) border between the world’s two most populous countries stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the eastern Indian state of Sikkim.
The latest standoff is over portions of a pristine landscape that boasts the world’s highest landing strip and a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world.
Tens of thousands of troops from the two nations have been squaring off in difficult terrain above 4,300 meters (14,000 feet) since border skirmishes erupted in April.
However, the Chinese government claimed on September 5 that India was “entirely” responsible for the border stand-off in Ladakh and China will not lose “an inch of its territory”, blaming India for escalating tension along the LAC (Line of Actual Control), which serves as the de factor border between the two countries.
India responded shortly after, with the Defence Ministry noting that China’s actions, including the “amassing of large number of troops… aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo”, were in violation of bilateral agreements.
“Causes and truth of the current tension on the China-India border are clear, and the responsibility entirely lies with India. China cannot lose an inch of its territory, and its armed forces are fully determined, capable and confident in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese said in their statement.
China also called on India to “earnestly implement important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and insist on resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation”
The Defence Ministry responded saying that India too was “determined to protect (its) sovereignty and territorial integrity”, but urged China against further escalation and said it was keen for China to “work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest…”
