Tension flared up between India and China after the two sides recently came face to face in Sikkim and Ladakh

India on Thursday called for maintenance of peace and tranquility on the Line of Actual Control after two back to back incidents on non-demarcated India-China border flared up tension between the two sides, first time since the Doklam stand-off that lasted for 73 days in 2017.

Chinese military choppers were found to be flying close to the LAC in Ladakh last week, around the same time troops from China’s PLA and Indian soldiers came to blows in the upper reaches of North Sikkim.

“India and China attach utmost importance to maintenance of peace and tranquility in all areas of India-China border regions. Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in their informal Summits in Wuhan (2018) and in Chennai (2019) had reaffirmed that both sides will continue to make efforts to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas. This is essential for the overall development of the bilateral relations,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in response to a question from the media.

He added that following their informal summits, “the two leaders had also directed their militaries to earnestly implement various confidence building measures agreed upon between the two sides, including the principle of mutual and equal security, and strengthen existing institutional arrangements and information sharing mechanisms to prevent incidents in border regions.”

Occasionally, the MEA spokesperson said, “On account of difference in perception of the alignment of the LAC, situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC.”

Talking about existing tools to resolve tension on the LAC, he said there are established mechanisms as and when such situations arise on the border and they include Border Personnel Meeting, Flag Meetings, and Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs as well as diplomatic channels.