Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar on Wednesday sent a sharp message to his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi that what happened in Galwan was a “pre-mediated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties”.
Strong in tone and tenor Dr. Jaishankar told Wang Yi that the ‘unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship’. He categorically said that “the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps.”
India has been pressing for the establishment of status quo that existed before May 2020 when reports of Chinese intrusion into the Indian side of the LAC started coming in.
Minister Jaishankar conveyed Government of India’s protest in the strongest terms and said that the skirmish that happened on June 15 reflected the intent of the Chinese to change the facts on the ground violating all the agreements of not disturbing the status quo.
The Minister also highlighted that an agreement on de-escalation and disengagement was reached on June 6 by senior Military Commanders along the LAC with ground commanders implementing the consensus reached in the last week.
“While there was some progress, the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LOC”, the Ministry noted in its release.
Minister Jaishankar has called for the implementation of the understanding reached on June 6 and said that both sides should abide by bilateral agreements and protocols. “They should strictly observe the line of actual control and should not take any unilateral action to alter it.”, the Minister said.
Towards the end it was agreed that the overall situation would be handled by both the countries responsibly and that the agreement reached on June 6 would be implemented sincerely. The Ministry release said that neither side would take any action to escalate matters and work towards ensuring peace and stability as per bilateral agreements and protocols.
The release also said that the Chinese Foreign Minister conveyed the country’s position on the recent developments.
Both the armies have disengaged from the Galwan area where a violent faceoff happened on the intervening night of June 15 and 16. 20 Indian soldiers including a Colonel were martyred. The casualties on the Chinese side based on Indian intercepts have been placed at 43.