China has said it abides by the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as proposed by Premier Zhou Enlai to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in a letter dated November 7, 1959— the first time in decades that it has clearly spelled out its stand on the national Sino-India boundary by reiterating a position that New Delhi has consistently rejected since it was first made 61 years ago.
In the statement in Mandarin, the Chinese foreign ministry, while blaming the Indian Army for the ongoing tension since May and for the June 15 clash in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan valley, said the clash was an “unfortunate” event.
“Firstly, China-India border LAC is very clear, that is the LAC on November 7, 1959. China announced it in 1950s, and the international community including India are also clear about it,” the ministry said on Friday.
Since this year, the Indian Army has continued to arrive and illegally cross the border, unilaterally expanding the scope of actual control.
This is the source of tension on the border issues. The key to disengagement between the two armies is India’s withdrawal of all illegal cross-border personnel and equipment,” it added.
It’s the first time in recent years that Beijing has said in unequivocal terms that it still goes by the 1959 LAC.
It did, however, make a passing reference during the 2017 Doklam crisis, when the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying spoke of the “1959 LAC” while blaming Indian troops for a scuffle with Chinese soldiers near Pangong lake in Ladakh in August that year.
India has repeatedly and consistently rejected China’s allegations that Indian troops crossed over to the Chinese side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh, asserting that New Delhi has always taken a responsible approach towards border management and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
It is clear that the current aggression at the border shown by the Chinese since May is to attempt to control territories up to where Beijing defines its LAC.
The Chinese foreign ministry statement blamed New Delhi for the tension, saying: “ the right and wrong of the Galwan Valley conflict is very clear. We didn’t want to see what had happened. We hope the media doesn’t hype this unfortunate event”.
The ministry did not respond to the question on the number casualties that PLA suffered during the brutal hand-to-hand clash with Indian army soldiers on June 15.
“Since the bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of China and India in Moscow on September 10, the two sides have actively engaged in dialogue and consultation based on the five-point declaration,” it said.