New Delhi. 17 June 2020. The External Affairs Minister spoke to his Chinese counterpart the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, on recent developments in Ladakh and in no uncertain terms that this unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship.
He conveyed the protest of the Government of India in the strongest terms on the violent face-off in Galwan Valley on 15 June 2020 and reminded that at the meeting of senior Military Commanders held on 6th June, an agreement was reached on de-escalation and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“Ground commanders were meeting regularly to implement this consensus throughout the last week. While there was some progress, the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LAC. While this became a source of dispute, the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties. It reflected an intent to change the facts on ground in violation of all our agreements to not change the status quo,” he said.
The Minister underlined the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps. “The two sides should scrupulously and sincerely implement the understanding that was reached by the Senior Commanders on 6th June. Troops of both sides should also abide by the bilateral agreements and protocols. They should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control and should not take any unilateral action to alter it,” he said.
The State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China, on his part, conveyed the Chinese position on recent developments , which was ofcourse sticking to the rhetoric his Spokesperson of the Ministry . China urged India to investigate the clash incident in the border region on Monday, punish those responsible, and restrain its military forces in the region to prevent any provocative actions.
“India must make sure similar incidents as that on Monday do not happen again. India must also not miscalculate the current situation, and not underestimate China’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territory,” he responded.
So why is China reacting with such statements if it hasn’t had any casualties in the violent faceoff at LAC? Dozens of Chinese soldiers are also killed and their casualty figures are higher but it does not acknowledge this human disaster for itself and just refuses to give figures. Another lie which China has been perpetrating is that it doesn’t want a confrontation but the truth is that PLA came prepared for a faceoff.
At the conclusion of the discussion, it was agreed that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of 6 June sincerely. Neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocols. But does India have faith in China’s false promises? Truth has always been the biggest casualty in China when it comes to India-China matters military at LAC.
