2023-04-29 02:04:58
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that the military deployment on their disputed Himalayan border was undermining relations between the two countries, and called for a disengagement to maintain “peace and tranquility”.
Singh spoke with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, Thursday, before the meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which India chairs this year.
India’s defense minister “categorically” reiterated New Delhi’s position, according to a statement issued by his ministry on Thursday evening.
General Lee announced in a statement posted online Friday that the situation on the border was “stable”. “We hope the two sides will work together to continuously build mutual trust,” he said.
background of the border dispute
- Relations between the two Asian powers have been strained since a clash in the region killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers in June 2020.
- Since then, the two neighbors have massed tens of thousands of troops along the border. The military deployment continued despite 18 rounds of talks between the two countries’ top military officials.
- India is worried about the growing military presence of its northern neighbour, while disputes over its 3,500 km border are a constant source of tension.
- China claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India, considering it part of Tibet. The two sides fought a border war in 1962.
- Beijing and New Delhi regularly accuse each other of trying to seize territory along the unofficial dividing line between them, known as the Line of Actual Control.
The clash that took place in 2020 along the western border separating Tibet from the Indian state of Ladakh led to a sharp deterioration in relations, prompting both sides to send large reinforcements to the region.
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