Beijing, Apr 24: Ignoring India's demand to revert to a status-quo in Depsang Valley, China on Wednesday firmly stuck to its stand that its troops have not violated the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region.
“I want to reiterate here that the Chinese border troops have been acting in strict compliance with the bilateral agreements and conducting normal patrol on the Chinese side of the LAC. They have never crossed the line,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.
She was replying to a question on yesterday's flag meeting between the militaries of the two countries in Ladakh region and subsequent assertion by India that status quo should be restored.
Ms Hua's assertion, reiterating her remarks made on April 22, makes it clear that China is sticking to its stand that there is no violation and its troops may stay put in the area until it is resolved through the talks.
Ms. Hua said both sides have opened the “communication channels” to discuss the issue though the consultation mechanisms on boundary issue.
But, at the same time she said both sides should stick to the consensus reached so far on LAC.
“The two sides should abide by their consensus which is in the interest of both. The two sides should work together to properly resolve border issues within the framework of existing mechanisms and create favourable conditions for the bilateral relations,” she said.
This is the first time, after the controversy broke, that China has acknowledged that the issue is being discussed between the two countries.
