MEA flags China over recurring India-China border disturbances (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday blamed China for recurring disturbances along the India-China border, saying that peace and tranquillity remain essential for improving bilateral relations. The ministry said the situation gets disrupted when Chinese forces move away from established patrolling patterns.
The remarks came after Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor said the force’s newly raised Shaurya commando unit had demonstrated its capabilities during ongoing face-offs with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing the weekly press conference, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and China continued to rely on established diplomatic and military mechanisms to address outstanding border issues and prevent misunderstandings along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
"In so far as the specifics are concerned, I would refer you to the ministry of defence," Jaiswal said.
"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," he added.
"Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control," he further said.
The MEA reiterated that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border was crucial to the broader development of relations between the two countries.
"The two sides have also agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas for better border management," Jaiswal said.
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"I would also like to emphasise that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," he added.
On Thursday, ITBP chief Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor said the force had raised a specialised combat unit, the Shaurya commandos, which had demonstrated its capabilities during the “ongoing” face-off with PLA troops at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
Kapoor said the commandos would be deployed in every border battalion as the ITBP strengthens its operational preparedness along the 3,488-km LAC with China. The force is also advancing its modernisation programme, with greater emphasis on emerging warfare technologies and specialised training.
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Speaking to personnel at an ITBP base in Alwar, Rajasthan, ahead of the force’s 65th Raising Day on October 24, Kapoor said traditional methods of warfare were no longer sufficient to counter China, which he described as India’s “biggest adversary”.
