Army officers of India, China meet in Leh

New Delhi: Army officers of India and China met on Wednesday in Leh's Chusul sector, a day after border guards foiled an attempt by Chinese soldiers to enter Indian territory along the banks of Pangong lake in Ladakh.

Official sources said yesterday's incident at Pangong and ways to maintain peace and tranquility along the Sino-India border in Ladakh were discussed at length at the border personnel meeting (BPM).

Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) tried to enter the Indian side in two areas-- Finger Four and Finger Five-- twice between 6 am and 9 am yesterday. But on both the occasions their attempts were thwarted by alert Indian troops.

After Chinese troopers found their path blocked by ITBP personnel who formed a human chain, they began hurling stones, prompting a swift retaliation by Indian border guards.

Personnel from both sides received minor injuries and the situation was brought under control after the customary banner drill under which both sides hold banners before stepping back to their respective positions.

The Chinese troops had managed to enter up to Finger Four area in the region from where they were sent back. This area has been a bone of contention between India and China as both claim it to be a part of their territory.

When asked about yesterday's incident in Ladakh, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters, "This is not a subject on which the government makes a comment on."

The sources said today's BPM was pre-scheduled and the issues discussed included strengthening of existing mechanism for maintaining peace and tranquility along the border.

Brigadier ranked officers of both sides attended the meeting.

Two thirds of the Pangong Lake are controlled by China while one third of it is controlled by India.

The incidents in Ladakh took place amid a face off between Indian and Chinese armies in Dokalam in India-Bhutan- China trijunction which has entered the third month. Official sources said notwithstanding the standoff, sweets were exchanged between the Indian Army and PLA troops in multiple border locations including in Dokalam.

Exchange of sweets on Independence Day and Republic Day has been a tradition for last several years.

China said on Wednesday that it was not aware of the reports of PLA soldiers entering Indian territory along the banks of the Pangong lake in Ladakh and maintained that it was committed to peace and tranquillity along the border.

Indian border guards on Tuesday foiled an attempt by Chinese soldiers to enter Indian territory in Ladakh, resulting in stone pelting that caused minor injuries to people on both sides.

Asked to comment on the incident,Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "I am not aware of the information I can tell you that the Chinese border troops are always committed to maintain peace and tranquillity of the India-China border."

"We always patrol in the Chinese side along the Line of Actual Control. We urge the Indian side to abide by the LAC (Line of Actual Control) and relevant conventions between the two sides," she said.

In the past too, whenever such incursions have taken place, China has always maintained that its troops were patrolling the Chinese side of the border highlighting that border is yet to be delineated as the two countries were in the process of resolving the boundary dispute.

Special Representatives of China and India have held 19 rounds of talks to resolve the boundary issue.

Asked whether there is any progress to resolve the standoff at the Doklam area in the Sikkim section which has now entered the third month, Hua reiterated China's stand that Indian troops illegally trespassed into Chinese territory and they should unconditionally withdraw.

"This is pre-condition for any meaningful talks between the two sides," she said.

However, China has been acknowledging that the talks are on through the diplomatic channels to discuss the issue.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

Meanwhile, the US on Tuesday said it wants India and China to sit down and have a direct dialogue to resolve their issues.

The US' remarks came a day after Indian border guards foiled an attempt by Chinese soldiers to enter Indian territory along the banks of famous Pangong lake in Ladakh.

The latest skirmish comes at a time when India and China are locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector. The standoff has been ongoing for more than 50 days, after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the area.

"We are encouraging both parties to sit down and have a direct dialogue," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at a news conference.

Nauert was responding to questions on the skirmish between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakh and continued standoff in Doklam area.