New Delhi: China on Monday (October 26) defended its border patrols as routine and said it was complying with bilateral agreements with India, responding to reports of continuing face-offs between the two countries’ troops in Arunachal Pradesh, where India has accused Chinese forces of disturbing the border situation by departing from established patrolling patterns.“China strictly abides by the relevant agreements and common understandings reached between the two countries, and conducts normal border patrol and control activities to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and stability in the border areas,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at the daily press briefing in Beijing on Monday.Responding to a question about India holding the Chinese military responsible for disturbing peace along the border, Guo said the two countries remained in communication through diplomatic and military channels.“We hope that India will work with China in the same direction by jointly implementing the common understandings reached between the two sides and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas with concrete actions,” he said.The Chinese response came three days after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the situation along the India-China border was periodically disturbed when Chinese forces departed from established patrolling patterns.“As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last Friday, when asked about reports of continuing face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh.The MEA’s statement followed remarks by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) director-general Shatrujeet Kapur, who acknowledged last week that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces had taken place at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and were continuing.“In the past few-days, a situation arose where a face-off happened at several locations in Arunachal and it still continues,” Kapur said at a ceremony for ITBP personnel in Alwar, Rajasthan.The remarks assumed significance because reports of fresh confrontations had emerged from the Taksing and Maza sectors of Upper Subansiri district, close to the border with China. The reports followed allegations by local organisations that Chinese troops had entered areas claimed by India and established a military camp.In June, the Nah Welfare Society, a local organisation based in Taksing, alleged that Chinese forces had occupied Indian territory in the area. It identified several locations near Taksing, including Oying in the Asaphila area, Paniar in the Chujarta area, Marpan in Marnafe, Portrang Lake and Tingdingtang.Two months later, a fact-finding team, formed by the People’s Party of Arunachal, claimed that Chinese People’s Liberation Army personnel have effectively denied Indian forces access to key patrolling points in the Taksing area and are steadily expanding control over Indian grazing and hunting grounds along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).But Union minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu had rejected the claims, along with the Indian Army.The latest exchange comes amid efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to normalise relations after years of military tensions along the LAC, the de facto boundary between the two countries.In its October 23 statement, the MEA said both sides were also discussing ways to improve their understanding of the LAC “in appropriate areas” to facilitate better border management and avoid “misunderstandings and miscalculations”.Jaiswal reiterated that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas was essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.