Clashes along LAC: India, China trade blame

India and China traded blame for rising tensions over their disputed Himalayan border yesterday following their highest level meeting since a deadly clash in June.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe released rival statements accusing each other of inflaming the showdown after talks late Friday on the sidelines of an international meeting in Moscow.

Singh said they had "frank" discussions on the dispute and the strained relations between the world's two most populous countries.

The meeting between the two leaders lasted for 2 hours 20 minutes. It was also the highest level face-to-face political contact since tensions flared along the disputed mountain border in May.

On June 15, the nuclear armed neighbours came close to a major conflict after forces clashed at Galwan valley in the Ladakh region in which 20 Indian troops died. China has also acknowledged suffering casualties but not given figures.

Both sides have since sent tens of thousands of troops to the remote, inhospitable region which sits at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres (13,500 feet).

A series of talks held since, but the tensions along the poorly demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) that marks the India-China border is running high with regular face-off among forces.

Singh "emphasised that the actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing of large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation" of agreements between the neighbours, said an Indian statement.

India wanted to settle the dispute through talks "but at the same time there should also be no doubt about our determination to protect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said there will be no compromise on India's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and asserted it cannot be "business as usual" in bilateral ties unless there is peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

At the same time, he said India is open to resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.

The Chinese minister took a similarly tough line.

"The cause and truth of the current tension on the border between China and India are very clear, and the responsibility lies entirely with India," said General Wei.

"China's territory cannot be lost," he added, calling on India to "strengthen control of frontline forces" and "refrain from any actions that may cause the situation to heat up".

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump again offered help to resolve the border dispute between India and China.

Trump told reporters the situation was "very nasty," adding that the two countries were "going at it much more strongly than a lot of people even understand."

A US government source told Reuters in Washington the US assessment is that neither China nor India are interested in pushing the dispute to the point that they would engage in war.

Trump, asked about the dispute at a news briefing in the White House, said Washington was talking with both countries about what it could do to help defuse the situation.

"We stand ready to help with respect to China and India. If we can do anything, we would love to get involved and help," he said.

Trump has offered to mediate between the two nuclear-armed nations in the past. China has said that there is no need for a third party to mediate and India has also appeared cool to the idea.