India-China border row: Ready to manage all issues through talks, says Chinese Foreign Minister

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday stressed that China is ready to manage all kinds of issues through dialogue with India. The Chinese foreign minister, during his visit to France, also said, "China has always been committed to maintaining stability along the China-India border and will not escalate the situation".

Yi's statement comes a day after India accused China of military provocation and unilaterally changing the status quo at the Pangong Tso area. Yi, while delivering a speech at the French Institute of International Relations, told that China has pursued a policy of good-neighbourliness and friendship. "We hope to live in long-term stability and friendship with all our neighbours," Yi added.

As per the Chinese government's newspaper Global Times, Yi said the boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated, so there have been problems. He said that "China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity...we are ready to manage all kinds of issues through dialogue with the Indian side".

Yi further talked about the important consensus between India and China and said, "Both sides agreed that bilateral cooperation outweighs differences and common interests outweigh conflicts".

He said that China was willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with India to help it speed up its development.

In another development, China's Western Theatre Command has accused the Indian Army of illegally crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday. "A blatant provocative move that seriously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty," it added.

In the last two-and-half months, India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve border conflict in the Eastern Ladakh.

Both sides began a process of disengagement on July 6 but it has not moved forward since mid-July. The Indian side has constantly insisted on the complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest.

The People's Liberation Army of China has pulled back from the Galwan Valley and certain other friction points. However, the PLA troops are still present in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas. The India-China border covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control.

Also read: Ladakh standoff: Chinese troops never crossed LAC, says China foreign minister

Also read: India-China border row: Chinese troops increase foothold in Pangong Tso area