New Delhi: Not much details were available of the meeting of Defence Ministers of India and China in Moscow on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet as the two sides try to resolve rising tensions along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region, where a June 15 clash killed 20 Indian soldiers, with the request for meeting coming from the Chinese side.
Neither side gave details of the meeting between Rajnath Singh and China’s Gen. Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of a gathering of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The body comprises China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Krgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
“Peace and security in the region demands a climate of trust, non-aggression, peaceful resolution of differences and respect for international rules,” Singh said at the meeting.
Wei told Singh the sides should “cool down” the situation and “maintain peace and tranquility,” the Chinese Ministry of Defence said on its website. However, it said responsibility for the tension “lies completely with India.”
“Not one inch of Chinese territory can be lost,” the Chinese Ministry of Defence said.
The disputed 3,500-kilometer (2,175-mile) border between the world’s two most populous countries stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim. The latest standoff is over portions of a pristine landscape that boasts the world’s highest landing strip and a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world.
Both sides accuse the other of provocative behaviour including crossing into each other’s territory this week, and both have vowed to protect their territorial integrity.
Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane visited the region on September 3 and 4 and met soldiers deployed in difficult terrain above 4,300 meters (14,000 feet), Indian Ministry of Defence in a statement said.
India said its soldiers thwarted movements by China’s military last weekend. China accused Indian troops of crossing established lines of control.
Both sides have pledged to safeguard their territory but also try to end the standoff, which has dramatically changed the India-China relationship. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks on the crisis have been unsuccessful.
