'Don't attempt to change status quo at LAC'

Moscow/New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has clearly conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe that China must strictly respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and not make attempts to unilaterally change its status quo, asserting India is determined to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, officials said on Saturday.

In the first highest level face-to-face contact between the two sides after border tension erupted in eastern Ladakh in early May, Singh and Wei met for two hours and 20 minutes in Moscow on Friday evening on the sidelines of a meeting of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO).

Officials said Singh conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the current situation should be handled responsibly, and that neither side should take any further action that could either complicate the situation or escalate matters in the border areas.

He told Wei that the actions by the Chinese troops, including amassing a large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements, the officials said.

A week before an India-Japan summit, Japan's ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI) announced it would add India and Bangladesh to a list of Asean countries to qualify for subsidies for Japanese manufacturers moving out of China.

The METI announcement comes days after India, Japan and Australia decided to advance cooperation on building trusted, resilient supply chains. Singh also underlined that the two sides should continue their discussions, including through diplomatic and military channels, to ensure "complete disengagement and de-escalation" along the LAC at the earliest.

Singh conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders of the two countries that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas was essential for further development of ties and that the two sides should not allow differences to become disputes.

At the talks, Singh categorically conveyed India's position on the developments along the LAC including at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in the last few months, the officials said. However, even as the two senior leaders discussed the issue, the PLA continued to be aggressive mode south of Pangong Tso as it faces Indian Army troopers at the bump feature and at Rechin La in the Chushul Valley.

According to senior officials, around 150 PLA troops are deployed at the bump feature with an anti-aircraft gun being moved up the Black Top by the Chinese army on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

With India matching the PLA in not only troop build-up but also heavy artillery, the road to disengagement and de-escalation is long and tenuous. Now that the two defence ministers have had candid conversations, the stage is set for external affairs minister S Jaishankar to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the SCO sidelines on September 10 to give a further push to peace.