Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying on September 29 said the Indian side has long pursued the “forward policy”

India on Thursday blamed China’s “provocative behavior and unilateral attempts to alter status quo” in contravention of all India-China bilateral agreements that resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquility along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

It further said Indian armed forces had to make appropriate counter deployments on the Line of Actual Control to ensure that the country’s security interests were fully protected as China continued to deploy a large number of troops and armaments in the border areas.

“China continues to deploy a large number of troops and armaments in the border areas. It was in response to Chinese actions, that our armed forces had to make appropriate counter deployments in these areas to ensure that India’s security interests are fully protected,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to a media query over the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s remarks on the border situation.

During a regular media briefing on September 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said: “The Indian side has long pursued the “forward policy” and illegally crossed the LAC to encroach on China's territory, which is the root cause of tension in the China-India border situation.”

Tearing down this allegation, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “We had already made our position clear a few days back that we reject such statements which have no basis in facts. It was the amassing of large number of troops by the Chinese side, their provocative behavior and unilateral attempts to alter status quo in contravention of all our bilateral agreements that resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquility along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said her country “opposes any arms race in the disputed border areas for the purpose of competition over control. We have always been firm in safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and security, and committed to peace and stability in the China-India border areas.”

Responding to it, the MEA Spokesperson referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dushanbe on the sidelines of SCO Simmit on September 17 where Jaishankar had emphasized that India and China should work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and proposals.

“As emphasized by the EAM in his meeting with the Chinese FM earlier this month, it is our expectation that the Chinese side will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols,” the MEA Spokesperson said