We remain firm in our resolve to ensure India's sovereignty: MEA on stand-off with China

We remain firm in our resolve to ensure India's sovereignty: MEA on stand-off with China

Amid stand-off with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, India on Thursday said the country remains firm in its resolve to ensure sovereignty and national security.

According to reports, Chinese troops have crossed into Indian territory along the 3,500-km-long LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim. While the LAC is the de-facto border between India and China, there is a lack of clearly demarcated boundary or fencing along the line.

In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Indian troops take a very responsible approach towards border management and strictly follow the procedures laid out in various bilateral agreements and protocols with China to resolve any issue that may arise in the border areas.

"The two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations which may arise in border areas peacefully through dialogue and continue to remain engaged through these channels," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

"India is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas with China and our armed forces scrupulously follow the consensus reached by our leaders and the guidance provided. At the same time, we remain firm in our resolve to ensuring India’s sovereignty and national security," he added.

The response came a day after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he has offered to "mediate or arbitrate" the "raging border dispute" between India and China.

Trump previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue on multiple occasions. India, however, rejected the offer as New Delhi maintains that there is no role for any third party in bilateral issues.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump said, "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!"

Several areas along the LAC have witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies recently, including an incident of a scuffle between the troops earlier this month.

As the tension escalates between the two nuclear-armed nations, India maintains that it is in touch with China at local and diplomatic level.

China has claimed that its troops were responding to construction activity by Indian forces while India has said the Chinese military was hindering normal patrolling by its troops along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim.

The fresh face-off comes three years after the 2017 Doklam crisis. After the 2-month long Doklam crisis, both countries had established a mechanism of informal summits alternating between the two countries to resolve any problems that may arise.

In the first informal summit in Wuhan in 2018, both sides gave "guidance" to forces and "committed" to work for the "common objective of maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas". This was reiterated again in the Mamallapuram informal summit that took place in India last year.