MEA says both sides are using diplomatic, military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues
New Delhi, Oct 23 ; India on Friday said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China gets “disturbed from time to time” when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns, underlining the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks while responding to a question about Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur’s comments that confrontations with Chinese troops continue at several locations along the border in Arunachal Pradesh.
“As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns,” Jaiswal said at his bi-weekly media briefing.
He said both sides continue to utilise existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to address outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations along the LAC.
Jaiswal also said India and China had agreed to discuss ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas to strengthen border management.
“Maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” he said.
On Thursday, ITBP chief Kapur said the force had raised a new combat unit, the Shaurya commandos, who had demonstrated their capabilities during the ongoing face-off with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
He said the commandos would be deployed in every border battalion as the ITBP strengthens its combat preparedness along the 3,488-km LAC with China.
The force is also stepping up its modernisation drive, with a greater focus on emerging warfare technologies and specialised training.
Addressing personnel at an ITBP base in Alwar, Rajasthan, ahead of the force’s 65th Raising Day on October 24, Kapur said traditional methods of warfare were no longer sufficient to counter China, which he described as India’s “biggest adversary”.
