17/06/2020
17/06/2020
KUWAIT, June 17 (KUNA) -- The People's Republic of China called Wednesday on India to "restrain its military to prevent any provocative" actions in the region and to investigate the last Monday's military border clash.
In a phone call with his Indian counterpart, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged India to investigate the last Monday's military clash in the Ladakh area of disputed Jammu and Kashmir.
"China urged India to investigate the clash incident in the border region on Monday, punish those responsible, and restrain its military forces in the region to prevent any provocative actions," Wang made the remarks to local media.
India confirmed Tuesday that at least 20 of its troops, including an officer, were killed in the eastern Ladakh area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) de facto border of India and China in the disputed region.
It is first high-profile civilian contact between the two countries ever since tensions erupted in Ladakh area in early May.
Press Trust of India, quoting Wang during the phone call, reported: "India and China should follow important consensus reached by their leaders."
But according to the Chinese state media, Wang added: "India must make sure similar incidents as that on Monday do not happen again. India must also not miscalculate the current situation, and not underestimate China's determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territory."
Border skirmishes between China and India began on May 5 in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, followed by another in the Nakula pass in India's northeastern Sikkim province three days later.
It was the first time since 1975 that China and India had engaged in a fatal military clash along their mutual border.