NEW DELHI, June 18 -�India on Thursday asked China to confine its activities to its side of the Line of Actual Control and that it must not take any unilateral action to alter it. The Ministry of External Affairs today said China departed from the consensus with regard to Galwan Valley and tried �unilaterally� to change the status quo.
�China acted in a pre-meditated manner and instigated violence. China should confine its activities to its side of LAC,� MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said during a press briefing today.
�While we remain convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquillity on border areas and resolution of differences through dialogue, at the same time as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday, we are strongly committed to ensuring India�s sovereignty and territorial integrity,� the MEA spokesperson said.
Reiterating an earlier statement by the Indian Army, the MEA said that no Indian soldier is missing in action.
In a statement issued today, the MEA had trashed China�s claim of sovereignty over the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
�As we have conveyed earlier today, External Affairs Minister and the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China had a telephonic conversation on recent developments in Ladakh,� Srivastava said.
�Both sides have agreed that the overall situation should be handled in a responsible manner and that the understandings reached between Senior Commanders on June 6 should be implemented sincerely. Making exaggerated and untenable claims is contrary to this understanding,� he said.
In a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar talked about the need for implementation of the decisions taken at the June 6 meeting.
