The two ministers met on the sidelines of the SCO meeting and their meeting lasted over two hours.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has “categorically” conveyed India’s position to China on the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the last few months including in the Galwan valley in his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow, Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
In a statement issued by China’s official media, Gen Wei was quoted as saying India was “entirely” responsible for the border tensions and China would not give up “an inch of its territory”.
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“Defence Minister stated clearly that while the Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border management, but at the same time there should also be no doubt about our determination to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Ministry said. He also emphasised that the actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing of large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to “unilaterally alter the status quo” were in violation of the bilateral agreements.
The two ministers met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting late on Friday evening and their meeting lasted over two hours during which they had “frank and in-depth discussions” about the developments in the border areas as well as on India-China relations. The meeting, the first between the Defence Ministers since the standoff began in early May along the disputed boundary in Eastern Ladakh came in the midst of a major escalation on the South Bank of Panging Tso last week following provocative movements by Chinese troops.
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Mr. Singh further said that the current situation should be handled responsibly and that neither side should take any further action that could either complicate the situation or escalate matters in the border areas. “The Chinese Defence Minister suggested that both sides should maintain communication at all levels including between the two Ministers,” the Ministry said.
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