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NEW DELHI: India and China exchanged blame for mounting tensions over their disputed border with the Himalayas on Saturday (September 5) following their highest-level meeting since a deadly clash in June.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe issued rival statements accusing each other of fueling the confrontation after talks on Friday night on the sidelines of an international meeting in Moscow.
Singh said they had “frank” discussions about the dispute and strained relations between the two most populous countries in the world.
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His troops have had a number of clashes since a clash in the Ladakh region on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. China has also acknowledged that it has suffered casualties, but has not provided figures.
Since then, both sides have sent tens of thousands of troops to the remote and inhospitable region that lies at an altitude of more than 4,000m.
Singh “emphasized that the actions of the Chinese troops, including the accumulation of large numbers of troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were a violation” of agreements between neighbors, said an Indian statement.
India wanted to resolve the dispute through talks “but at the same time there should be no doubts about our determination to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India”.
The Chinese minister took an equally tough line.
“The cause and the truth of the current tension on the China-India border are very clear, and the responsibility lies entirely with India,” General Wei said.
“China’s territory cannot be lost,” he added, calling on India to “strengthen control of the front-line forces” and “refrain from any action that could cause the situation to heat up.”
Both ministers were at a meeting of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Council.
India has withdrawn from the military exercises organized by the group where its troops would have been together with Chinese forces.
It has also intensified economic pressure by banning Chinese apps and blocking Chinese products in ports and preventing its companies from bidding on contracts.
