China claims whole of Galwan Valley, hopes India will work with it

New Delhi, June 20: Upping the ante, China has claimed the whole of Galwan Valley and also said that India had violated the June 6 understanding by crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and violently attacked the Chinese soldiers.

The statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said that the Indian side promised on June 6 that they would not cross the estuary of the Galwan river to patrol and build facilities. The two sides would discuss and decide phased withdrawal of troops through the meetings between the commanders on the ground, the foreign ministry also said.

Shockingly, on the evening of June 15, India's front-line troops, in violation of the agreement reached at the commander-level meeting, once again crossed the Line of Actual Control for deliberate provocation when the situation in the Galwan Valley was already easing, and even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties.

The adventurous acts of the Indian army have seriously undermined the stability of the border areas, threatened the lives of Chinese personnel, violated the agreements reached between the two countries on the border issue, and breached the basic norms governing international relations, China also said.

They deliberately made provocations in an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo of control and management. The Chinese border troops have been
forced to take necessary measures to respond to the situation on the ground and strengthen management and control in the border areas.

China hopes that India will work with us, follow faithfully the important consensus reached between the two leaders, abide by the agreements reach between the two governments, and strengthen communication and coordination on properly managing the current situation through diplomatic and military channels, and jointly uphold peace and stability in the border areas.