New Delhi:- Clarity of perception about the Line of Actual Control (LAC) could help contain avoidable situations on the Sino-India border, India today said, maintaining incidents of transgression are taken up with China through established mechanisms.
The comments came a day after it emerged that Chinese troops transgressed the border on land and by air in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand earlier this month.
“From time to time, on account of differences in the perception of the LAC, situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC,” Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar said, replying to a question in Rajya Sabha.
He said government regularly takes up any transgression along the LAC with the Chinese side through established mechanisms.
Chinese troops transgressed the border in Uttarakhand when its men stationed themselves in a dimilitarised zone and its helicopters flew into the Indian air space for over five minutes.
Official sources said the incident took place on July 19 in Barahoti area prompting the security establishment to review the security along the 350 km border with Tibet in the area, official sources said.
Akbar said, during their recent meetings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jingping, have expressed their commitment to seeking an early resolution of the boundary issue.
“It has been suggested that clarification of the LAC would grately contribute to the efforts to maintain peace and tranquility,” the Minister said.
While China claims the border dispute is confined to 2,000 km, mainly Arunachal Pradesh in eastern sector which it claims as part of southern Tibet, India asserts the dispute covered the whole of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including Aksai Chin occupied by China during 1962 war.
Replying to another question, Akbar said India and China have regular defence exchanges at various levels, adding the two sides have established the Annual Defence and Security Dialogue (ADSD).
“ADSD discusses the whole gamut of bilateral defence relations,” Akbar said when asked whether India has raised with Beijing the issue of a Pentagon report that China has deployed more troops on Indian borders.
He said “Under various agreements and MoUs, India and China have agreed that defence cooperation should be carried out in an effective and purposeful manner on the basis of equality, reciprocity, mutual benefit and mutual and equal security.”
The Minister said the two sides recognise that maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border is an important gurantor for development and growth of bilateral relationship between both countries.
PTI
