Don't take unilateral actions along Sino-India border: Chinese military

Beijing: China's military on Thursday asked the Indian Army not to take any "unilateral actions" affecting the stability of the border areas, days after the Indian side removed a Chinese-built hut in the Ladakh sector.

"The recent actions by the Indian Army in the relevant area was not consistent with the relevant agreement and spirit of the consensus of the two sides," China's Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said, commenting for the first time on the recent incident at Ladakh's Burtse area in which the Indian army removed the hut along with surveillance cameras.

"Jointly maintaining peace and tranquility of the India-China border is an important consensus reached between the leaderships of the two countries and also a solemn commitment and promise made by the two governments and militaries," Wu, who took over as new spokesman of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said replying a question.

"We ask the Indian army to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two governments and refrain from taking any unilateral actions which will effect the situation in the border areas and work together with the Chinese military to jointly maintain peace and stability in China-India border areas," he said. Asked whether any meetings have been held between the two militaries to discuss the incident, he said, "the China India-Border areas generally maintain peace and stability. The two sides are in contact and communication through diplomatic channels and border mechanisms."

Earlier on September 14, the Chinese Foreign Ministry downplayed incident saying that there is no "face-off" along the border and sought "clarification" from India on this

issue. "As far as I know there is no such face-off, in the border area," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei had said.

"The Chinese border troops have been performing their duties on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control, (LAC)," he said reiterating the consistent position maintained by China in the previous incidents that the PLA troops have been carrying out activities on their side of the border.

Chinese troops pitched tents in the Depsang area during the visit of its Premier Li Keqiang in 2013 to India asserting that the PLA troops are carrying out activities on their side of the border. It was resolved after prolonged consultations.

Since then few more standoffs have taken place in Ladakh region. A similar face-off took place at Chumar in Ladakh during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014. It was resolved after several weeks of talks.

In his briefing today Wu also said the two armies will hold their joint anti-terrorism exercises this year near China's Kunming city from October 11-24 in which 144 troops from both the countries would take part. This would be the fifth annual counter terrorism exercise between the two countries aimed at improving relations between the troops.