China on Thursday said that the latest round of military-level talks with India was “positive and constructive”, PTI reported.
Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defence said that Beijing will work closely with India “to properly handle the border issue through negotiation and consultation”.
The spokesperson also rejected allegations by the United States that it was intimidating its neighbours. “…Some American politicians are so fond of using the word ‘coerce’ that they seem to have forgotten that the US is the inventor and master player of ‘coercive diplomacy’,” Wu said, according to the Hindustan Times.
China neither coerces anyone, nor is it coerced by others, the spokesperson asserted. He also said that both Beijing and New Delhi opposed interference from any other party.
Ahead of the talks on January 11, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had said that the United States believed that China’s behaviour in the region “can be destabilising” and that it was concerned by Beijing’s attempt to “intimidate its neighbours”.
The 14th military commander-level meeting between India and China was held on January 12. At the meeting, India and China agreed to work for the resolution of the remaining conflicts between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control at the earliest, according to India’s Ministry of Defence.
Wu said on Thursday that in a joint statement issued after the talks, the two countries agreed to follow the guidance of their leaders and work to resolve the remaining issues as early as possible.
He added that China and India “agreed to consolidate the previous outcomes and take effective efforts to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the western sector including in winter”, according to the Hindustan Times.
India and China have been locked in a border standoff since their troops clashed in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the clash. China had put the number of casualties on its side at four.
After several rounds of talks, India and China had disengaged from Pangong Tso Lake in February and Gogra in August in eastern Ladakh.
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