By IANS,
New Delhi : Downplaying recent Chinese incursions into the Indian territory of Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Monday said India has “one of the most peaceful boundaries with China” and added that the issue was being sorted out.
“Let me go on record to say that this (border with China) has been one of the most peaceful boundaries that we have had as compared to other boundary lines with other countries,” Krishna told reporters here.
“With China, I think, the boundary has been one of the most peaceful. So, there is no issue on that. There is no problem on that,” he replied when asked about the incidents of China violating India’s airspace and International Border.
There is a built-in mechanism which is in place and which takes care of such incursions, he said, adding that this issue of incursions will be sorted out.
The standard mechanism Krishna was referring to includes flag meetings and diplomatic channels. According to the India-China 2005 protocol, a flag meeting is to be called within 48 hours of any air intrusion for clarification. The intrusion then has to be investigated by the country accused of intrusion and the result communicated to the other country within four weeks.
Earlier, the Chinese foreign ministry trashed reports of incursions as “baseless” and said that Beijing seeks a fair and mutually acceptable solution through a peaceful and friendly negotiation.
Sources in the external affairs ministry also sought to downplay the incursions, seen by some as evidence of China’s increasingly hawkish posture on the boundary dispute, and said the incursions were due to differences in perceptions of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“There is no mutually agreed LAC. We have asked for an early clarification from China on this issue,” a source said.
Beijing has yet to respond to India’s proposal for clarifying the LAC so that such incursions are avoided.
India and China held the 13th round of boundary talks between their special representatives last month. The talks are aimed at arriving a package settlement to their decades-old dispute from a higher political perspective.