India-China border news Live updates: Army Chief briefs Defence Minister on ground situation

India-China border news Live updates: The Ministry of External Affairs Thursday said "continuation of the current situation would only vitiate the atmosphere for the development of the relationship" between India and China.




India-China border news Live update: Following his two day visit to Ladakh, Army Chief General MM Naravane Friday briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the ground situation. Singh, who returned to the country from Russia yesterday, where he attended the Victory Day military parade, is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day and brief him on the situation.

The Ministry of External Affairs Thursday said “continuation of the current situation would only vitiate the atmosphere for the development of the relationship” between India and China. MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said “both sides remain deployed in large numbers in the region” of the Galwan Valley “while military and diplomatic contacts are continuing”.

His statement came as satellite images were released revealing Chinese structures back at the site of the June 15 clash in Galwan Valley, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed, and massing of PLA troops in the Depsang plains.

Srivastava also confirmed that the first faceoff in Galwan between Indian and Chinese troops was in the first week of May. “In early May, the Chinese side had taken action to hinder India’s normal, traditional patrolling pattern in the Galwan Valley area. The resulting face-off was addressed by the ground commanders as per the provisions of the bilateral agreements and protocols,” he told reporters.

In other news, industry associations have hinted that a “blanket ban” on Chinese products may not be feasible. From pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and automobiles, industry associations say the “knee-jerk” offensive against China till alternative domestic vendors are finalised will hurt companies and the economy.

India-China Border News Live Updates: Army Chief briefs Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after two-day visit to Leh; MEA says Delhi will vitiate ties with Beijing if situation continues; satellite images show Chinese structures back at Galwan, Depsang. Read latest news and updates in Tamil, Bangla

Army Chief General MM Naravane has briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the ground situation in eastern Ladakh. Singh on Thursday returned from Russia where he had gone to attend the Victory Day celebrations. Naravane also came back to Delhi on Thursday from Ladakh, where he was briefed in detailed about the situation on the ground, and also visited some of the forward areas and presented commendation cards to several troops who were involved in clashes with the Chinese in Pangong Tso and in Galwan Valley. Singh is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day and brief him about the situation.

Maxar WorldView-3 satellite image shows close up view of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) border and patrol point 14 in the eastern Ladakh sector of Galwan Valley June 22, 2020. (Maxar Technologies via Reuters)

Holding Beijing responsible for the violent faceoff in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Thursday said that China has been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since early May and that the conduct of Chinese forces has been in “complete disregard of all mutually agreed norms”.

“At the heart of the matter is that since early May, the Chinese side has been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava. “This is not in accordance with the provisions of our various bilateral agreements, especially the key 1993 Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas.”

The Indian side, the MEA said, had to obviously undertake counter deployments and that “the resulting tension has thereafter expressed itself”. On Wednesday, the Chinese Defence Ministry had echoed Beijing’s claim to the Galwan Valley. That was the first time that the Chinese armed forces staked claim to an area that is well within Indian territory. To this, the MEA said, “The deployment of large body of troops and changes in behaviour has also been aggravated by unjustified and untenable claims. The recent shift in the Chinese position on the Galwan Valley is one example.”

New satellite images have revealed Chinese structures back at Galwan Valley, the site of the June 15 clashes that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. Top sources in the Army told The Indian Express “the tent which was removed on June 15 has been reported back by our ground troops at PP-14 (Patrolling Point 14)”. The structures have been built between June 16 and June 22 because Planet Labs satellite images of the location on June 16, a day after the clashes, do not show any such infrastructure.

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