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China-India relations: Beijing rejects New Delhi’s claim of provocation after flare-up at border in Ladakh

  • China’s foreign ministry says PLA troops ‘never cross the Line of Actual Control’ after being accused of trying to shift status quo
  • India’s coronavirus battle may have the Modi government attempting to shift blame to China to win domestic support, says expert

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Relations between China and India have hit a new low after violent brawls on the night of June 15 in Galwan Valley. On Monday, China rejected an allegation by New Delhi that Chinese troops had used “provocative military movements” at the weekend. Photo: AP
The months-long border stand-off between China and India took a new twist on Monday as Beijing rejected an allegation by New Delhi that Chinese troops had used “provocative military movements” at the weekend to try to change the status quo on their disputed border in Ladakh.
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Neither side has provided details about what happened on Saturday night or revealed whether there were any clashes or casualties from the incident that occurred on the southern bank of Pangong Lake.

Tensions look set to flare up again, according to pundits, between the world’s two most populous nuclear-armed powers. Neither Beijing nor New Delhi have shown willingness to back down 11 weeks after the deadliest border clashes in five decades.

Local military commanders from the two countries were meeting along the disputed frontier on Monday to resolve the issues, India’s defence ministry said.

The statement said that on Saturday night the People’s Liberation Army had “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” and “violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements”.

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