China on Wednesday accused India of violating border agreements, and claimed that New Delhi was responsible for the months-long standoff, ...
China on Wednesday accused India of violating border agreements, and claimed that New Delhi was responsible for the months-long standoff, The Hindu reported. This contradicted Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement to the Lok Sabha that China violated the 1993 and 1996 boundary agreements, by amassing troops along the Line of Actual Control this year.
Singh had told the Lok Sabha that during dialogue with China at the military and diplomatic level, India has maintained three key principles: “Both sides should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control; neither side should attempt to alter the status quo unilaterally; all agreements and understandings between the two sides must be fully followed.”
“The responsibility for the current situation does not lie with China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing. “It is the Indian side that has violated the agreements, first trespassed, and first fired shots to threaten the safety of the Chinese border troops.” Wang said India must begin disengagement of troops on the ground immediately.
“For the Chinese side, we have been honouring the agreements signed between China and India,” Wang claimed, according to the Hindustan Times. “We are committed to peace and stability in the border area.”
