New Delhi: Holding Beijing responsible for the eastern Ladakh standoff, India has said China has been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the Line of Actual Control since early May and conduct of the Chinese forces has been in complete disregard of all mutually agreed norms.
Speaking to the media during an online interaction, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava gave a run down of the events along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region and held China responsible for the Galwan Valley clashes off 15 June.
He said that in early May, the Chinese side took action to hinder India’s normal, traditional patrolling pattern in the Galwan Valley area while it sought to change the status quo in other areas of the Western Sector couple in mid-May.
“We had registered our protest on the Chinese actions through both the diplomatic and military channels, and made it clear that any such change was unacceptable to us,” he said.
Subsequently, senior commanders met on June 6 and agreed on a process for de-escalation and disengagement along the LAC that involved “reciprocal actions,” he added.
Stating that both sides had agreed to respect and abide by the LAC and not undertake any activity to alter the status quo, he added: “The Chinese side departed from these understandings in respect of the LAC in the Galwan Valley area and sought to erect structures just across the LAC.”