The two countries have remained locked in a stand-off along the LAC in Ladakh since June this year. A fresh crisis erupted last Sunday when India pre-emptively thwarted Chinese intentions to unilaterally change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in Eastern Ladakh.

 

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the government's position on the recent development has been clearly articulated in a statement made on September 1.

 

The Indian Defence Ministry on Monday had said that People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops violated the previous consensus arrived at the military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo on the night of August 29 and early morning of August 30.

 

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangon Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground," the government had said.

 

Srivastava reiterated that Chinese actions had caused the recent escalation. "It is clear that the situation we witness over the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by the Chinese side that sought to effect unilateral change of status quo. These actions resulted in violation of the bilateral agreements and protocol which ensured peace and tranquility in the border areas for close to three decades," he said.

 

He said that the ground commanders are still holding discussions to resolve the situation.

 

"We reiterate the consensus reached between the two foreign ministers and secretaries that the situation in the border should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters," the MEA spokesperson said.

 

Now the way ahead is negotiations, both through diplomatic and military channels, he said, adding that the Indian side is firmly committed to resolving all outstanding issues through peaceful dialogues.

 

"We therefore strongly urge the Chinese side to sincerely engage the Indian side with the objective of expeditiously restoring the peace and tranquility in the border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols," he added.