Updated: September 9, 2020 7:52:21 am
Minister of Foreign Affairs S Jaishankar in Moscow (ANI)
One day after first shooting incident Along the Royal Line of Control in 45 years, New Delhi and Beijing were working on direct diplomatic lines to reduce tension ahead of the proposed meeting in Moscow between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Councilor of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi.
Monday’s incident came four months after the border clash began in early May and a violent clash on June 15 that killed 20 Indian soldiers and it resulted in an unknown number of Chinese casualties.
Diplomats in Delhi and Beijing had been in contact since Monday night, The Indian Express learned, after the first shots were fired. Talks are likely to take place at the Special Representative level in the coming days.
National security adviser Ajit Doval, who last had a video conference with Wang Yi on July 5, was briefed by military, intelligence and MEA officials, the sources said. He subsequently informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi since Jaishankar had left for Moscow via Tehran on Tuesday morning; arrived in Moscow at night. New Delhi’s assessment, as of now, is that Beijing is “shaken” after a series of pre-emptive steps by Indian troops along LAC on the southern bank of Pangong Tso from August 29-30. . They thwarted Chinese movements in the Chushul sector and occupied the dominant heights on the southern shore of Pangong Tso and Rechin La near Rezang La.
According to Indian officials, India’s perception of LAC extends from point LAC to point 5167 to Black Top and Magar Hill and then to Rezang La and Rechin La. The LAC runs from north to south in almost a straight line, except for a curve after Point 5167 where Black Top is located.
On Monday, authorities said, a group of between 30 and 40 Chinese soldiers arrived armed with spears, machetes and pistols to charge the Indian troops and occupy the heights of Mukpari, a point between Magar Hill and Rezang La.
The Indian troops, armed and present in greater numbers, used the portable public address system to warn the Chinese troops that if they did not stop their advance, India would be forced to fire. According to Indian officials, Chinese troops fired into the air.
The sources said that the fact that the Indian presence was numerically stronger than that of China and that the soldiers had been instructed to follow the new rules of engagement, which is to shoot if under threat, prevented a repeat of what happened in Galwan on June 15.
Read also | S Jaishankar on India-China Border Row: ‘Serious Situation … Needs Deep Talks at Political Level’
On Monday, authorities said, a group of between 30 and 40 Chinese soldiers arrived armed with spears, machetes and pistols to charge the Indian troops and occupy the heights of Mukpari, a point between Magar Hill and Rezang La. (ANI)
This was clearly articulated by the Indian side through an official statement from the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
“India … is committed to disengaging and reducing the situation in LAC, (but) China continues to engage in provocative activities to escalate. At no time has the Indian Army transgressed in LAC or resorted to the use of any aggressive means, including fire, “said the MEA.
“It is the PLA that has been openly violating the agreements and carrying out aggressive maneuvers, while the commitment at the military, diplomatic and political level is in progress … On September 7, 2020, it was the PLA troops who tried approaching one of our forward positions throughout LAC and when their own troops deterred them, the PLA troops fired a few rounds into the air in an attempt to intimidate the troops themselves. However, despite the serious provocation, the troops themselves exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner, ”the statement said.
“The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility … yet it is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Theater Command is an attempt to mislead its national and international audience, ”the MEA said.
South Block Tuesday also breached the statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry that Indian troops made a “shooting threat” to Chinese border guards patrolling to negotiate and that Chinese guards were forced to take “countermeasures. “.
Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the PLA Western Theater Command, demanded that the Indian side “seriously investigate and punish the personnel who shot.” This, by the way, is in disagreement with a previous statement in which Beijing spoke of a “threat”.
On Monday, Jaishankar, speaking on Express Adda, had framed the outlines of a diplomatic exchange with China. That, officials said, also applies to the circumstances following Monday’s incident.
Jaishankar was received by the ambassador and senior officials of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ANI)
Jaishankar outlined a “series of agreements” with China on border management dating back to 1993 that “clearly stipulate” that both countries will keep forces at a minimum level at the border.
“And the subsequent agreements that we had, shape the behavior of the troops and what are the restrictions they should have. If they are not met, very, very important questions are raised. At this moment, I observe that this very serious situation has been occurring since the beginning of May. This requires very, very deep conversations between the two parties at the political level, ”Jaishankar had said.
This is the conversation Jaishankar hopes to mark when he is likely to meet Wang on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting anytime between 9-11 September.
Russia said on Tuesday that while the SCO does not allow any bilateral disputes to be discussed, it will encourage Indian and Chinese leaders to speak up.
Roman Babushkin, Russian deputy chief of mission in Delhi, said his country “has no doubt that Indian and Chinese friends will find a mutually acceptable solution through dialogue.”
“We are very encouraged to learn that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Chinese counterpart, and that Dr. Jaishankar would also meet with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) event,” said. “We would be very happy to see positive results from these discussions.”
Meanwhile, in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated the position of the Chinese army, saying: “This is a serious military provocation of a heinous nature.” He said that the Chinese side has filed protests through diplomatic and military channels over Monday’s incident.
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