China reiterates claim to sovereignty over Galwan valley

A day after India trashed the Chinese Army’s claim of sovereignty over the Galwan valley and asked Beijing to confine its activities to its side of the Line of Actual Control, China’s foreign ministry on Friday claimed that the Galwan valley was on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control.

India has already dismissed China’s claim of sovereignty over the Galwan valley, saying such “exaggerated” and “untenable” claims are contrary to the understanding reached during a high-level military dialogue on June 6.

During a media briefing in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian again blamed India for the violent face-off in eastern Ladakh on the night of June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel, were killed, and issued a press note giving ‘step-by-step account of the Galwan clash’ as per China.

Zhao’s reiteration of Beijing’s claim over the Galwan valley came a day after the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said “given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). We expect the Chinese side to also confine its activities to its side of the LAC.”

“The Galwan valley lies on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in the western section of the China-India border. For many years, Chinese border guards have been patrolling and performing their duties normally,” Zhao said.

In the press note on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website, Zhao also said a second commander-level meeting should happen as soon as possible to deal with the situation on the ground.

“The two sides are in communication on easing the situation through diplomatic and military channels. China attaches importance to China-India relations and hopes that India will work with China to jointly maintain the larger picture of the long-term development of bilateral relations.”

“The two sides agreed to handle in a just manner the serious situation caused by the Galwan valley clash, observe the agreement reached during the commander-level meeting, cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible and uphold peace and tranquillity of the border areas in accordance with bilateral agreements reached so far,” he said.

“China hopes that India will work with us, follow faithfully the important consensus reached between the two leaders, abide by the agreements reached between the two governments, and strengthen communication and coordination on properly managing the current situation through diplomatic and military channels and jointly uphold peace and stability in the border areas,” Zhao said.