Incursion issue: China tones down rhetoric, urges patience

Beijing: Toning down its rhetoric on incursion, China on Thursday counselled patience saying favourable conditions should be created for the two countries to solve the issue through friendly consolations. At separate media briefings, both the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry maintained that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had not intruded into India and had not caused any "provocation".

Urging the media to be patient, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "We also believe that the two sides continue to solve the issue in a friendly manner and we will not let the issue affect border peace and security and normal development of China-India relations". "We hope relevant media can keep patience and create favourable conditions for the two countries to solve this issue through friendly consultations", she said.

The Chinese Defence Ministry too refuted reports that it troops and aircraft trespassed the LAC. Denying any violations, a Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said that media reports on Chinese border troops, military planes and helicopters crossing the line of actual control are "not true".

Yang told the local media here that Chinese and Indian border troops are maintaining communications through existing channels to resolve the issue. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "I do not agree with your allegation that it is the Chinese side that has caused the provocation between the border troops. China's troops have never crossed the (LAC) line. China and India are neighbours and the boundary is not demarcated yet. It is inevitable for problems to prop up in border areas. When there is a problem it should be resolved through friendly consultations though existing mechanisms and channels."

"We believe this incident can also be handled and will not affect the peace and stability of the border areas as well as the normal development of China and India relations", she said. She was replying to questions about the intrusion of Chinese troops at the Depsang Valley in Ladakh.