BEIJING: China on Monday urged India to uphold peace at the border regionsafter clashes between soldiers of the two countries took place at theSikkim border area.
“We hope India will work with China to uphold peace and tranquility in theborder regions with its concrete actions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’sSpokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his briefing.
A clash took place at the China-India border last week. Several soldiers,from both sides, were injured after throwing stones and fighting each other.
The spokesperson said, “As to the China-India border issue, our position isclear and consistent. Our troops there remained committed to upholdingpeace and stability in the region.”
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Lijian remarked that 2020 marked the 70th anniversary of the establishmentof diplomatic ties between the two countries.
“Under such circumstances, the two sides should work together, handle thedifferences earnestly and uphold peace and stability in the border regionsto create enabling conditions for bilateral relations as well as to fightagainst COVID-19 jointly,” he added.
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When asked whether China was looking at adopting an aggressive approachagainst India after the COVID-19, he termed the relevant assumption asgroundless.
“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and India have been staying closelyin communication and cooperation on prevention and control of thechallenge,” he said.
He said that currently the most pressing concern for the internationalcommunity was solidarity and cooperation against coronavirus, and added,“We should not allow any politicisation and stigmatisation in a bid tocreate more differences or confrontation.”
Earlier, Indian media claimed that India troops rolled back attempts by theChinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to push their way into Sikkim’sMuguthang valley and clashes took an ugly turn on Friday.
