On Friday, the foreign ministries of China and India agreed in a joint statement that their troops must quickly emerge from months of confrontation on their long-contested border with the Himalayas.
China’s State Counselor, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s foreign ministers’ meeting in Moscow to try to end a dispute, the most serious in decades over the undivided border.
“The the two foreign ministers agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interests of either side. Therefore, they agreed that the border troops of both sides should continue the dialogue, quickly disperse the troops, maintain an appropriate distance and reduce tensions, ”the statement said.
Separately, China’s foreign ministry said it would liaise with India through diplomatic and military channels and carry out a “restoration of peace and tranquility” in the disputed border area.
Talking about the meeting in Moscow, China said that Wang told Jaishankar that “provocations such as shooting and other dangerous actions that violate the commitments made by both sides must be stopped immediately.”
He added that all personnel and equipment that violated the border should be relocated, and border troops on both sides “must quickly withdraw from the battle” to reduce the escalation of the situation.
‘Tightening condition’
The Global Times tabloid, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, took a harsher tone in an editorial published ahead of the two ministers’ meeting.
“The Chinese side must be fully prepared for military action in the event of failure of diplomatic cooperation, and its forward forces must be able to respond to emergencies and be ready for battle at any time,” the message said.
It accused India of harboring a grudge against the 1962 conflict and described the country as “an unprecedented state of panting. “
Wang and Jaishanka’s meeting came after a border clash earlier this week, when each accused each other of shooting into the air during a clash on their border in the western Himalayas, in violation of long-standing protocols on the use of firearms at the sensitive border. …
The Chinese ministry said the two countries reached a five-point consensus to reduce tensions in the area, including the need to abide by existing agreements to ensure peace.
