New Delhi, September 3: India on Thursday said China's repeated attempts to unilaterally change status quo has resulted in "the current situation" in eastern Ladakh, adding that New Delhi is committed to resolving issues through peaceful dialogue. Tensions between India and China have been at peak since May when the Chinese aggression started increasing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and more particularly in Galwan valley. China's Latest Incursion Attempt Was Deliberate to Provoke India: US Intelligence.

"It is clear that the situation we witnessed over the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by China that sought to unilaterally change status quo," Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said. "Way ahead is military and diplomatic negotiations. We are firmly committed to resolving all issues through peaceful dialogue. We strongly urge China to sincerely engage with the objective of expeditiously restoring peace in border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation," he added.

India's response came days after Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a brief skirmish at the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. According to India's Ministry of Defence, on the intervening night of August 29 and 30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus agreed in military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong lake, and undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground," the Defence Ministry said in a statement on August 31.

Yesterday, China held India responsible for ongoing tensions along the LAC.  Asserting that “the responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side” for the continuing tensions between India and China, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "From the beginning of this year, the Indian Army repeatedly broke consensus and agreements and unilaterally with force changed the status quo, destabilising the border region and causing tensions."

On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed in a face-off in the Galwan valley. The Chinese side has reportedly transgressed in the areas of Kugrang Nala, Gogra and north bank of Pangong lake on May 17 and May 18.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2020 05:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).