INDIA has said its soldiers have thwarted “provocative” military movements by China near a disputed border in the Ladakh region amid a continuing stand-off.
A statement by India’s defence ministry said China’s People’s Liberation Army “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” and “violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements” to settle the stand-off in the region.
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It said Indian troops pre-empted the Chinese military activity on the southern bank of Pangong Lake.
Indian troops “undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground”, the statement added.
Local military commanders from the two countries were meeting along the disputed frontier to resolve the issues, India’s defence ministry added.
It said India was committed to dialogue “but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity”.
The India-China face-off began in early May, first at three places, including the glacial lake divided by the de facto frontier between the rivals.
Soldiers at the 84 mile-long scenic lake ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a shouting match, stone-throwing and even fistfights.
By June it escalated and spread to two other places towards the north in Depsang and Galwan Valley where India has built an all-weather military road along the disputed frontier.
On June 15, the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a night-time clash in Galwan.
According to Indian officials, Chinese troops on top of a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 15,000 feet, leaving 20 Indians dead, including a colonel.
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