Riyaz ul Khaliq
June 18, 2020•Update: June 19, 2020
ANKARA
China on Thursday again accused Indian troops of breaking “consensus” and violating territorial limits in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.
“Indian front-line troops broke the consensus and crossed the Line of Actual Control [LAC], deliberately provoking and attacking Chinese officers and soldiers, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a tweet.
Beijing has previously blamed Indian soldiers for provoking Monday’s clash in the eastern Ladakh area along the LAC – the countries’ de facto border in the disputed region.
At least 20 Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the fight.
“India must not misjudge the current situation or underestimate China's firm will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty,” the spokesperson added.
In a phone call with his Indian counterpart on Wednesday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged New Delhi to investigate the incident and restrain its forces from any further provocations.
Border row
Border skirmishes between China and India began on May 5 in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, followed by another in the Nakula pass in India's northeastern Sikkim province three days later.
Monday’s violent confrontation was the first time since 1975 that China and India engaged in a military clash along the LAC, which is 4,056 kilometers (2,520 miles) long and traverses through the union territory of Ladakh and four Indian states – Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
On the Chinese side, the line crosses the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Border tensions between the two countries have existed for over seven decades, as China claims territory in India's northeast and New Delhi accuses Beijing of occupying its territory in Aksai Chin plateau, including part of the Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir.
