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NEW DELHI: Amidst the border tension between India and China, the Foreign Secretary Hard Vardhan Shringla said on Friday that India remains firmly committed to preserving its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and will not compromise on that ground.
Shringla also said it was important that even during these difficult times of this “crisis”, India has been communicating and engaging with China.
“The pandemic has not prevented us from participating. We have used digital media, we have used the telephone, we have used direct diplomatic contact between New Delhi and Beijing and we have been talking to each other on this issue, “he said at an Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) webinar.
“We remain firmly committed to ensuring we preserve our territorial integrity and sovereignty and we will not compromise on that ground, we will stand firm and resolute. At the same time, we are open to resolving pending issues through dialogue,” he added. said the Foreign Secretary.
On the challenges facing India amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he spoke about the situation along the Royal Line of Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
“This is one of the most serious challenges that we have faced in many decades. Also, I think if you look at the fact that we have not lost a single life on the border in the last 40 years, we have not seen this magnitude of accumulation of forces in the border also in recent years, is something that we have to take stock ”, he said.
Tension between the two sides had multiplied after violent clashes in the Galwan Valley, eastern Ladakh, on June 15, in which 20 members of the Indian army were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties, but has not yet released details. According to a US intelligence report, the death toll on the Chinese side was 35.
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