India and China are accusing each other of igniting fresh provocations at Ladakh, the province in Indian-controlled Kashmir bordering Tibet where a deadly nighttime brawl on June 15 left at least 50 soldiers dead on both sides.
On Monday, India's Ministry of Defence said soldiers of the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by troops of the People's Liberation Army on Saturday evening to occupy a hill along the shores of Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh. China continues to lay claim to swathes of territory along the ill-defined border in Indian-controlled Ladakh.
The ministry said Indian troops acted to deter further Chinese encroachment. The confrontation did not escalate into an armed clash between both sides, government and Indian Army sources confirmed
"On the night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing stand-off in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," said Indian army spokesman Colonel Aman Anand.
He said Indian soldiers foiled the Chinese attempt to "unilaterally change facts on the ground." The incursion meant PLAGF soldiers had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating Ladakh from Tibet. The LAC extends 3,500 kilometers.
As expected, China rejected the accusation that PLAGF troops had violated the LAC and attempted to occupy a hill in Indian-held territory.
"Chinese border troops always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.
In China's version of Saturday's events, India troops trespassed the LAC "again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Mountain and conducted flagrant provocations." Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the PLAGF, urged India to immediately withdraw its troops from the hill and avoid escalating tensions.
Col. Zhang said India's move grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty. It also severely damaged peace and stability in the China-India border area.
Col. Zhang said China is strongly opposed to the Indian side's faithless act of repudiating past promises.
"We solemnly demand the Indian side to immediately withdraw its troops that illegally trespassing the border line, strictly control and restrain its frontline troops and earnestly honor its commitments, so as to avoid further escalation in the situation," he said.
