India accuses China of violating border agreements

India’s defense minister held “candid talks” with his Chinese counterpart, India’s defense ministry says.

India’s defense minister has accused China of eroding the “entire base” of ties between the two countries by violating bilateral agreements, a reference to a nearly three-year-old standoff that saw thousands of soldiers stationed along their disputed border in India. east of Ladakh. region.

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu and “had frank discussions on developments in India-China border areas and bilateral relations,” India’s defense ministry said on Thursday.

Singh told Li that “the development of relations between India and China is based on preserving peace and tranquility at the borders,” and that all border issues should be resolved in accordance with existing agreements and commitments, the ministry said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment on the talks from the Chinese side.

India says the deployment of a large number of Chinese troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally change the status quo at the border violate agreements between the countries. The violations have “erode the entire basis of bilateral relations,” Singh said.

Twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese were killed in a clash three years ago in the Ladakh region. It turned into a protracted standoff in the rugged mountainous region, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

Days before Li’s visit, Indian and Chinese army commanders held an 18th round of talks in an attempt to withdraw troops from areas of tension.

Both India and China have withdrawn troops from some areas on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley, but continue to retain additional troops as part of a multi-tier deployment.

A Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian territories from Ladakh in the west to the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. India and China fought a war over their border in 1962.

Defense Minister Li will visit New Delhi on Friday to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s defense chiefs. The group consists of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Singh also met separately with the defense ministers of Iran, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan on Thursday.