New Delhi: After Union minister V.K. Singh claimed that India has “transgressed” more times than China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Beijing responded by saying that it was an “unwitting confession” and alleged that New Delhi’s “frequent acts of trespass” was at the root of border tensions.Minister of state for road transport and highways, V.K. Singh told reporters in the city of Madurai on Sunday that China had transgressed several times across the un-demarcated border “with his own perception of the LAC”. He added, “Similarly, none of you come to know how many times we have transgressed as per our perception. Chinese media does not cover it”.The former army chief underlined, “Let me assure you, if China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times”.In response to Singh’s remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that this was an acknowledgement of encroachment by India.“This is an unwitting confession by the Indian side. For a long time, the Indian side has conducted frequent acts of trespass in the border area in an attempt to encroach on China’s territory and constantly created disputes and frictions, which is the root cause of the tensions at the China-India border,” he stated at the daily briefing on Monday.He added, “We urge the Indian side to follow through on the consensus, agreements and treaties it reached with China, and uphold peace and stability in the border region with concrete actions”.According to the official transcript, the question about the Indian minister’s comments was not asked during the briefing, but after it ended.Also read: UNSC Watch: Amidst Anxiety Over ‘China Style’ of Diplomacy, Beijing Cuts Conciliatory PictureSingh had also noted that China had been trying to expand its control over territory by camping on new land, strengthening forces there and retreating a bit after negotiations. “But the present government has ensured that this does not happen”.He stated when China transgressed in eastern Ladakh, India had threatened to respond in equal measure. “Today, China is under pressure, since we are sitting at places (along the border), where it does not like,” he said.The Indian minister’s remarks came in the backdrop of the ongoing stand-off between the Chinese and Indian military at multiple points in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.Indian army trucks depart towards Ladakh amid standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, at Manali-Leh highway in Kullu district. Photo: PTIChina had increased its frontline troop deployment and penetrated much further into areas like the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Lake beyond its traditional patrolling patterns. This led to the first clashes in May 2020, which triggered the unresolved stand-off at multiple points.In June, twenty Indian soldiers died in a violent face-off with Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley. The fatalities on the Chinese side is unknown, as China doesn’t release any numbers.In one of the verbal ripostes to Chinese claims, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the Indian side “has never undertaken any actions across the LAC”. “In fact, they have been patrolling this area for a long time without any incident. All infrastructure built by the Indian side is naturally on its own side of the LAC,” he added.A few days later, Srivastava reiterated that Indian position and added, “The Indian side has never undertaken any actions across the LAC and has never attempted to unilaterally change the status quo. However, that has not been reciprocated by the Chinese side and that from time to time has led to face-offs”.Watch | Understanding the Challenges China Poses to IndiaIn a recent policy speech on China, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said that the improvement in ties after the 1962 war was “predicated on ensuring that peace and tranquillity was not disturbed and that the LAC was both observed and respected by both sides”.He had proposed eight “guiding principles” to rebuild India-China relations, which includes that the LAC be “strictly observed and respected” and that agreements between the two countries must be “adhered to in their entirety, both in letter and spirit.”There have been multiple rounds of talks between the two countries at various levels to resolve the stand-off, including meetings between defence and foreign ministers.Since June, there have been nine rounds of talks between senior military commanders. Besides, there have been six meetings of the foreign office-led Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs.
