India on Thursday rejected China’s efforts to deflect responsibility for delays in the disengagement process in the Ladakh sector, saying Beijing should work sincerely to reduce escalation and make no further attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo on the Line. Real Control (ALC). .
The Indian side also insisted on implementing the consensus reached by India’s defense and foreign ministers and their Chinese counterparts at meetings in Moscow earlier this month for “the rapid and complete withdrawal of troops from all areas of friction. throughout LAC “.
The move came shortly after China’s Foreign Ministry called on India for the second day in a row to “immediately correct its incorrect practices, disconnect on the ground as soon as possible and take concrete steps to ease tensions” in the border.
“The Chinese side should sincerely work with the Indian side to achieve complete disengagement as soon as possible of all friction zones, including Pangong Lake, as well as the reduction of escalation in the border areas in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols. on maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas, ”Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava told a weekly press conference.
“We hope that the Chinese side will strictly respect and observe LAC and make no further attempts to unilaterally change the status quo,” he added.
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Srivastava’s comments suggested that the two sides had been unable to move forward with the five-point roadmap drawn up by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in their talks on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers in China. the Shanghai Cooperation. Organization (OCS) in Moscow on September 10. The road map foresees that both parties “must continue their dialogue, disconnect quickly, maintain the appropriate distance and ease tensions.”
“Both parties should therefore focus on easing tensions in the areas of friction by refraining from any action that could lead to an escalation of the situation. This requires strict adherence to bilateral agreements and protocols and not making unilateral attempts to change the status quo, ”said Srivastava.
Tensions have soared on the north and south shores of Pangong Lake, where troops from the two sides are within close range of each other and where there have been several cases of shooting since late August, the first time firearms have been used. throughout LAC since 1975. Experts say that India is willing to reduce tensions in this area and at other sticking points such as Gogra and Kongka La.
Srivastava also noted that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated categorically in Lok Sabha on Tuesday and in Rajya Sabha on Thursday that India is committed to a peaceful dialogue through diplomatic and military channels.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin placed responsibility for the disengagement and de-escalation back on the Indian side, saying that New Delhi should “immediately correct its erroneous practices, withdraw on the ground as as soon as possible and take concrete measures to alleviate the situation. ” tensions ”. He also tried to blame India for the tensions in eastern Ladakh.
The troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have always strictly adhered to the agreements between the two parties on the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the disputed border, and are committed to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China said.
On Wednesday, Wang had said China was not to blame for the crisis at the border, which has pushed bilateral ties to their worst in decades. “It is the Indian side that has violated the agreements, invaded the territory first and fired first to threaten the safety of the Chinese border troops,” he said on Wednesday.
The Indian government has already dismissed such accusations from the Chinese side, saying that PLA troops had engaged in provocative military maneuvers and were not ready to withdraw.
Also read: Envoy from China applauds Jaishankar-Wang’s roadmap, then blames India for tension
On Thursday, the nationalist tabloid Global Times also accused India of being insincere about honoring the consensus to disconnect. A tabloid article from a meeting of national security advisers from the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping was a good opportunity to ease border tensions, but it all depended on India’s sincerity.
The NSA Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, a member of the political bureau of the Communist Party of China central committee joined the virtual meeting organized by Russia.
Hu Zhiyong of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times that China should be prepared to face the fact that consensus with India is possible, but should remain vigilant as to whether India can deliver on its promises. Zhao Gancheng of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies said that since Yang and Doval have known each other for a long time, the Brics meeting brings hope for peace.
Sameer Patil, a fellow for international security studies at Gateway House, said both sides were clearly at a standstill and would hold on to the territory as they continued their efforts to gain an advantage whenever possible.
“At the same time, they will be careful not to escalate too much and allow the diplomatic processes to continue and see what they pay off. In any case, we are entering winter and I do not see the possibility of a great escalation of hostility as it will be difficult to mount an offensive campaign in the harsh winter weather conditions, “he said.
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