Galwan Valley incident will have serious impact on bilateral ties: India to China

New Delhi: India made it clear to China on Wednesday that the Galwan incident in which at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed was unprecedented and will have a “serious impact on the bilateral relationship” unless Beijing made a quick reassessment and took “corrective” measures.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar conveyed this strong message to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, asking him to ensure that the June 6 consensus on de-escalation agreed upon at the Corps Commander level be “scrupulously” and “sincerely” implemented. He also asked Wang to ensure Chinese troops strictly follow protocols laid out in bilateral agreements dealing with the LAC.

“At the conclusion of the discussion, it was agreed that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner,” said the MEA in a statement.


‘Premeditated and Planned Action’
“Both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 sincerely. Neither side would take action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquility as per bilateral agreements and protocols,” the statement said.

The conversation happened amid statements from the United States and Russia – India’s close strategic partners – expressing hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Further, Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart that while a structure erected by the Chinese PLA in Galwan valley on the Indian side of the LAC became a source of dispute, there was no justification for Chinese troops to undertake “premeditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties”.

That in itself, Jaishankar told Wang, “reflected an intent to change the facts on ground in violation of all our agreements to not change the status quo”.

For his part, Wang took a combative line, blaming India for the violence and asking it to “thoroughly” investigate the clash. He termed Indian action as “adventurous” and asked New Delhi to “strictly control frontline troops”.

Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the contacts between Delhi and Beijing to de-escalate tension. He also announced that the next RIC Foreign Ministers meet will be held on June 23. “The RIC (Russia-India-China) agenda does not involve discussing issues that relate to bilateral relations of a country with another member…," Lavrov emphasised.

Russia is the current host of RIC and hopes that the platform can enable both Delhi and Beijing to build trust.

A US state department statement issued overnight Wednesday, said, “We are closely monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control.”

The statement further said that both India and China have “expressed a desire to de-escalate” and it supports a “peaceful resolution of the current situation” in the Galwan Valley.