Galwan Valley: China hopes to work with India to maintain bilateral relations

With New Delhi contemplating to impose tariff and non-tariff barriers on imports from China, Beijing on Friday said that it would expect the government of India to work with it to ensure that the recent clash between the soldiers of the two nations does not hinder long-term development of bilateral relations.

China also stated that it valued its bilateral relations with India.

“We hope India can work with China to jointly maintain the long-term development of the bilateral relations,” Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government, said.

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His statement came two days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the killing of 20 Indian Army soldiers by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China at the Galwan Valley on June 15 would have “a serious impact” on the bilateral relations with India.

The clash came even as the diplomats and the senior military officials of the two nations were holding talks to resolve the month-long stand-off along the India-China disputed boundary in eastern Ladakh. The Chinese PLA too suffered an unspecified number of casualties.

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It triggered outrage in India, with clamour growing for retaliatory actions against China, including imposing tariff and non-tariff barriers on imports from the communist country. The Government already asked state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) not to use any equipment made in China to upgrade its mobile networks. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) decided to terminate its Rs 471 crore contract with Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication for signalling works.

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Beijing, however, continued to blame the Indian Army soldiers for the clash at the Galwan Valley and even accused them of crossing the Line of Actual Control – the de facto boundary between India and China – and attacking the officers and personnel of the Chinese PLA.

“China and India are (engaged) in a dialogue to resolve the matter on ground through diplomatic and military channels,” Zhao told journalists in Beijing. “I would like to reiterate that regarding the serious situation in the Galwan Valley, the right and wrong is very clear and the responsibility entirely lies with the Indian side,” he said.