China Requests to Meet with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on the Sidelines of the SCO Amid Border Tensions | India News


Amid border tension between India and China in eastern Ladakh, Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe requested a meeting with Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the Organization of Shanghai Cooperation (OCS) on September 4 (Friday).

Both defense ministers are in Moscow, Russia, for the SCO defense ministers meeting. India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are part of the SCO group.

India had received a request from China to meet Rajnath Singh when he was in Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations earlier this year. At that time, no meeting had taken place. While it is not confirmed that if India agrees to China’s request, the development comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

On Thursday, India had said that the current situation in LAC is due to the “direct result of action” from China. Foreign Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: “It is clear that the situation we have witnessed over the past four months is a direct result of actions taken by the Chinese side seeking to effect a unilateral change of the status quo. Actions resulted in the violation of bilateral agreements and protocols that ensured peace and tranquility in the border areas for nearly three decades. “

He also said: “I can say that the ground commanders are still holding discussions to resolve the situation. We reiterate the consensus reached between the two Foreign Ministers and the SRs that the situation at the border should be handled responsibly and any of the parties must not take any provocative action or escalate matters. “

On August 31, the Indian Army had said that the Chinese Army carried out “provocative military moves” to “unilaterally” change the status quo on the southern shore of Lake Pangong in eastern Ladakh on the middle night of 29 and August 30, but the attempt was thwarted by Indian troops.

“Now the way forward is negotiations, both through diplomatic and military channels. The Indian side is firmly committed to resolving all outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue. Therefore, we strongly urge the Chinese side to sincerely engage with the Indian side with the aim of rapidly restoring peace and tranquility in the border areas through total disengagement and de-escalation in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols, “added Srivastava.

Srivastava had said on September 1 that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was engaged in “provocative action” again a day earlier when the ground commanders of the two sides were holding talks to alleviate the situation. Following the Chinese attempts, the Indian Army has reinforced its presence at at least three strategic heights on the southern shore of Lake Pangong.

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