New Delhi: Close on the heels of China's allegations against India for pushing a 'forward policy', India on Thursday (September 30) evening rejected the claims and said that it is Beijing that has been displaying "provocative behavior and unilateral attempts to alter the status quo" in the borders.
New Delhi has insisted yet again that the Indian side has only made counter deployments in response to China's "provocative behaviours".
We had already made our position clear a few days back that we reject such statements with no basis in facts. It was the amassing of a large number of troops by the Chinese side, their provocative behaviour and unilateral attempts to alter the status quo in contravention of all our bilateral agreements that resulted in a serious disturbance of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to a question.
He said China continues to deploy a large number of troops and armaments in the border areas.
"It was in response to Chinese actions that our armed forces had to make appropriate counter deployments in these areas to ensure that India's security interests are fully protected," he said.
The MEA spokesperson said, as emphasized by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in his meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in September, "It is our expectation that the Chinese side will work towards an early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols."
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said in a media briefing that the Indian side has long pursued the 'forward policy' and crossed the LAC to encroach on China's territory.
Gogra, or Patrolling Point 17A, was one of the key friction points between India and China.
As the outcome of the 12th round of talks at the level of senior commanders held on July 31, India and China have already pulled back troops from this vital border location in eastern Ladakh.
"Both sides have ceased forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated, and verified manner. The disengagement process was carried out over two days, August 4-5, 2021. The troops of both sides are now in their respective permanent bases," an official release had said.
India and China have been engaged in a military standoff since May 2020, all along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, since New Delhi first detected Chinese intrusions.
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