India, China respecting bilateral pacts for peace at border: Rajnath

India and China are respecting bilateral pacts to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Lok Sabha, as he sought to assuage the opposition’s concerns over incidents of Chinese troops entering Indian territory.

Both countries have put in a mechanism in place to controlincidents of incursions and transgressions, he said.

   

Making a statement on the prevailing situation along theSino-Indian border, Singh said there is complete restraint by armed forces ofIndia and China at Doklam following months long stand-off between them in 2017.

The Defence Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi andChinese President Xi Jinping had an informal summit meeting at Wuhan where itwas decided that peace and tranquillity will be maintained at the border.

Singh’s statement came after Leader of the Congress AdhirRanjan Chowdhary raised the issue of Chinese troops entering over six km inDemchok in Ladakh.

He said China has often been transgressing into India andfollows it up with aggressive diplomacy.

The defence minister wondered as to why the Congress leaderraised the issue in the House and asserted that the Union government is verymuch aware of the situation on India’s border and periodically reviews it.

The government has focused on building infrastructure, liketunnels, roads, railway lines and air fields, along the Indo-China border, hesaid.

Both governments, Singh said, periodically engage atdifferent levels, including meetings between their NSAs and join-secretary-rankofficials, he said.

Following the Wuhan meeting, they have also issued strategicguidance to their armies, he said.

“India and China are respecting bilateral pacts toensure peace and tranquillity along border,” he said.

Peace has mostly prevailed along the border but differencesin the two countries’ perceptions about the position of the Line of ActualControl has caused unsavoury incidents at times, he said.

It has been happening since 1962, he said, referring to theIndo-China war.

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