India on Thursday said it expects China to work towards an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has reiterated through statements that the "provocative" behaviour and "unilateral" measures by the Chinese side resulted in disturbance of peace and tranquillity in the area. Asked about reports of incursions by the Chinese side, Bagchi said he cannot comment on that kind of military aspects and the ministry of defence would be able to answer on that.
"It is our expectation that China will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the line of actual control in eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols," Bagchi said at a media briefing here. He also noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had held discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Tajikistan on the sidelines of the SCO summit last month and conveyed India's stand.
The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year in eastern Ladakh following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area last month.
In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.
Asked about Indian students and academics not being able to travel to China due to that country's Covid restrictions on travel, Bagchi said the issue with respect to China is that it says it has the restrictions in place for all countries. "We are making efforts to make forward movement (on this issue)," he said, asserting that India was engaged with several countries to ease travelling for Indians.
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