India says China continues to deploy large number of troops, armaments along LAC

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “continues to deploy a large number of troops and armaments” in the border areas and the Indian Army had to make “appropriate counter deployments”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi on Thursday.

New Delhi dismissed Beijing’s allegation that the Indian Army was pursuing a “forward policy” along the disputed boundary and its troops had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to encroach on the territory of China.

“China continues to deploy 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,” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the MEA, said in New Delhi.

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Beijing on Wednesday alleged that India had long been pursuing the “forward policy” and illegally crossed the LAC to encroach on the territory of China and it was the “root cause” of the one-and-a-half-year long military stand-off along the LAC. “China opposes any arms race in the disputed border areas (with India) 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,” Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government, said in Beijing. She was reacting to reports about the Indian Army deploying M777 Howitzers along the LAC with China.

New Delhi reacted on Thursday. “It was the amassing of large number of troops by the Chinese side, their provocative behaviour and unilateral attempts to alter status quo in contravention of all our bilateral agreements that resulted in serious disturbance of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in eastern Ladakh,” Bagchi said, dismissing his counterpart Hua’s statement in Beijing.

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