India has said the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by the Chinese side that sought to effect unilateral change of status quo.
Stating that the way ahead is negotiations, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at the weekly virtual briefing that these actions resulted in violation of the bilateral agreements and protocol which ensured peace and tranquility in the border areas for close to three decades.
He said the commanders on the ground are still holding discussions to resolve the situation and reiterated the consensus’ reached between the two Foreign Ministers and special representatives that the situation in the border should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters. India also strongly urged China to sincerely’ engage with India to“expeditiously’ restore peace and tranquility on the border through complete disengagement and de-escalation as agreed, Srivastava added.
China, however, has tried to blame India for the recent incident. India also continues to push back economically. The ban of 118 apps on Wednesday is also part of the China strategy, it is believed.
“Activities of these apps were prejudicial to the security of India,” said Srivastava. As India has grown and its interests have grown, it cannot be a passive player anymore. Its neighbour(s) should understand this.