Beijing won’t be first to escalate situation along LAC, says Wang Yi

“Boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated, there will always be problems,” says China’s Foreign Minister

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday Beijing “will not be the first to complicate or escalate the situation” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Speaking after a speech in France where he is on an official visit, Mr. Wang said because “the boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated, there will always be problems of this kind.”

On recent developments on the border, he said, “What I want to tell you is that China has always been committed to maintaining stability in the Sino-Indian border areas. We will not be the first to complicate or escalate the situation. Of course, we will firmly safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

He said China was “ready to manage all issues through dialogue” and called on India to “place the issues in an appropriate position in the bilateral relationship.”

“Differences should be managed and controlled, and in particular, differences should not escalate into conflict,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Modi and President Xi had in their many meetings “reached many important consensuses” and that “bilateral cooperation outweighs differences and common interests outweighs conflicts.”

On Tuesday, the spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Ji Rong, reiterated Monday’s statement from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the new tensions on the southern bank of Pangong Lake.

“On August 31st, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas,” the statement said, adding that India’s “move has grossly violated China’s territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquility along the China-India border areas.”

“What India has done runs counter to the efforts made by both sides for a period of time to ease and cool down the situation on the ground, and China is resolutely opposed to this,” the statement said, adding that China “has made solemn representations to the Indian side, urged the Indian side to strictly control and restrain its frontline troops, earnestly honour its commitments, immediately stop all the provocative actions, immediately withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the Line of Actual Control, immediately stop any actions leading to the escalation and complication of the situation.”

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