India rejects Beijing’s statement on Galwan Valley clash

India on Friday rejected China’s claims that New Delhi had violated all bilateral agreements regarding borders and encroached on Chinese territory. Rejecting Beijing’s statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India’s position on the Galwan Valley incident has been clear and consistent.

Bagchi said it was the “provocative behavior and unilateral attempts” of the Chinese side to alter status quo in contravention of all bilateral agreements that resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquility. “We reject such statements. Our 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”, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said as quoted by news agency ANI. “As emphasised by the External Affairs Minister in his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister 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,” he added.

MEA’s harsh response came after a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson had again claimed at a media briefing in Beijing that the Galwan valley clashes took place because India “encroached upon China’s territory” and violated all agreements. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “in the last year, Galwan Valley incident took place because India violated all the signed agreements and treaties and encroached upon Chinese territory, illegally crossed the line (LAC). We hope India will abide by all the signed agreements and uphold peace stability in the border region with concrete actions”.