India-China standoff: Beijing tried to unilaterally change status quo, says MEA

New Delhi, Sep 03: India on Thursday said China's repeated attempts to unilaterlly change status quo has resulted in "the current situation" in eastern Ladakh, adding that New Delhi is committed to resolving issues through peaceful dialogue.

Briefing media on stand-off in eastern Ladakh, MEA Spokeperson said, "Way ahead is military & diplomatic negotiations. We're firmly committed to resolving all issues through peaceful dialogue. Strongly urge China to sincerely engage with objective of expeditiously restoring peace in border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation."

"Situation in border should be handled in a responsible manner. It is clear that situation we witnessed over past four months is direct result of actions by Chinese side. It is a direct result of the actions taken by China that sought to unilaterally change status quo," he added.

This came in the backdrop of a provocative military movement by the Peoples Liberation Army. This attempt was however blocked by the Indian troops at Pangong Tso on Saturday.

The Indian Army on Monday said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

Srivastava on Tuesday said the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) was engaged in "provocative action" again a day earlier when the ground commanders of the two sides were holding talks to ease the situation.

Following the Chinese attempts, the Indian Army has strengthened its presence in at least three strategic heights in the southern bank of Pangong lake. Replying to a question on whether External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Moscow to attend a meeting of the SCO foreign ministers on September 10, Srivastava said "yes". The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an eight-nation regional grouping that includes China and India.