New Delhi/Beijing: China on Wednesday again accused India of provoking a border clash along the Line of Actual Control saying that the face-off was caused by India’s “betrayal of consensuses and unilateral provocations”.
“The incident was entirely caused by Indian’s violation of consensus and its unilateral provocation, and it happened in China-controlled territory. The responsibility rests entirely with the Indian side,” China’s defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said.
He claimed that when Chinese troops were trying to negotiate about the matter, they were suddenly attacked by Indian officers and soldiers. “That led to fierce physical conflicts between the two sides in which the Chinese troops used defensive measures,” Wu said.
“The entire incident was caused by India’s betrayal of consensuses and unilateral provocations and took place on the Chinese side of the line,” he repeated.
The clash was the deadliest between the two countries in 45 years with India losing 20 of its soldiers and China keeping the information on its casualties a secret.
Contrary to the Chinese claim, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had said since early May, the Chinese side has been hindering India’s normal, traditional patrolling pattern along the LAC in Ladakh.
Commanders from both sides agreed to disengage their forces in their first meeting since the confrontation.
