India slams China, says Beijing's provocative bid to alter status quo led to Galwan incident

New Delhi: India on Friday strongly rejected the statement made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson that the Galwan Valley incident took place because New Delhi violated all the treaties and agreements and encroached upon China`s territory illegally and crossed the line.

Responding sharply to the Chinese official’s assertion, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that ''India’s position with regard to developments last year along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh has been clear and consistent.'' 

"It was the provocative behaviour and unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo in contravention of all our bilateral agreements that resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquillity. This has also impacted the bilateral relations," said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

We reject such statements. Our position with regard to developments last year along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh has been clear and consistent: MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Chinese MFA Spokesperson’s comments on the Galwan valley incident

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/VVm8LPdFHv — ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2021

“As emphasized by EAM in his meeting with Chinese FM earlier this month, it is our expectation that the Chinese side will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols," Bagchi said.

Meanwhile, earlier today Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong while attending the opening Track II Dialogue on China-India Relations said bilateral ties remain at a low level amid turbulence on the global stage. 

"Since last year, China-India relations have witnessed difficulties unseen for many years. The relations remain at a low level. At present, the world is entering a period of turbulence and change. While the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading, the global economy remains sluggish in recovery, and the sudden changes in Afghanistan brought about a significant impact on the regional situation," said the Chinese Ambassador. 

"China and India should strengthen coordination and cooperation, join hands in fighting the pandemic, seek common development and rejuvenation, uphold Asian solidarity and promote the world`s peace and development. The current status of bilateral relations is obviously not in the fundamental interest of either side," the Chinese envoy added.

The Chinese envoy further said, "Analyzed from the prism of so-called realism in international relations theories of the west, China and India, as two neighbouring major countries, would inevitably view each other as threat and adversary, whose main interactive patterns would be competition and confrontation, and the result that one gains while the other loses would be unavoidable. "Sphere of influence", "zero-sum game", and "seeking hegemony" would be often repeated," the Chinese envoy said. 

In July this year, India and China held the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to iron out an agreement for the next phase of disengagement in Eastern Ladakh.