The unresolved issue was a result of Chinese occupation of significant portions in 1962, he said

Taking a strong stand on the India-China border dispute, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India would not countenance any unilateral attempts to change the present position of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Interacting with the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, EAM Jaishankar also asserted that the unresolved issue was a result of the Chinese occupation of significant portions of India, including Ladakh, in 1962.

"As to what has transpired in the previous two years, we have been very clear and very effective in ensuring that no attempt to change the status quo unilaterally on the Line of Actual Control will be countenanced by us," he said.

The External Affairs Minister was responding to a question about the official stance of India on a tweet from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that said there was "increasing Chinese infiltration" into Indian territory.

"I did not see anything particularly new in what his tweet said, because you all know that a large part of the problem we have on the boundary is because in 1962, the Chinese came and occupied large areas, including Ladakh."

Many of these were in strategic areas which create problems for India's boundary forces, he added.

Referring to the current situation, he said talks were on, involving military commanders as well as diplomats, for disengagement along friction points in the border areas of Eastern Ladakh. There had been "very substantial disengagement" in the last year, EAM Jaishankar pointed out, adding that discussions were still ongoing.

EAM Jaishankar also talked about the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka and said India was willing to help out its neighbours in their tough times.

"The situation in Sri Lanka is sensitive and complicated. Our support is for the people of Sri Lanka because they are our neighbours. We want to help them go through a very difficult phase in their lives," he said in response to a question.