Ladakh face-off LIVE: China's claim over Galwan Valley untenable, says MEA

Twenty Indian soldiers died in a violent clash with Chinese People's Liberation Army troops at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night. Catch latest updates

6:14 PM

LAC tensions LIVE: City importers holding back orders to China after Galwan Valley clash

City-based importers have started holding back their orders to China after the death of Indian Army personnel in a fierce clash with the People's Liberation Army in Galwan valley of eastern Ladakh. A large range of consumer products from toys to lights and indusial items are imported from China, president of Calcutta Customs House Agents Association, Sujit Chakrabarty said.

 

"The combined trade with China is already down by 30 to 40 per cent due to the lockdown related disruptions. With this (Galwan valley clash) development, importers are holding back their new order placement. "Exporters are also expressing concerns," he told PTI.

 

The Chairman of Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), Ravi Sehgal, said there could be a temporary hit in engineering goods export to China as exporters and importers normally do not mix politics with business.

 

"Exporters might be a bit cautious but unless there are payment concerns, exports will stay normal in the midterm," he said.

 

China is one of the two countries out of the top 25 destinations of India's engineering exports which managed a positive year-on-year growth in April 2020, while the rest conceded massive contraction up to 91 per cent in some cases due to the hugely disruptive impact of Covid-19. Trade with China account for about 20 per cent of the total cargo handled by Kolkata Port Trust.

6:07 PM

LIVE: Chinese foreign minister calls S Jaishankar, discusses LAC issue

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the two leaders agreed to "cool down" tensions on the ground "as soon as possible" and maintain peace and tranquility in the border area in accordance with the agreement reached between the two countries, an official statement said here.

 

The telephonic conversation between the two ministers came after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in the clashes with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two countries.

 

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed to deal "fairly" with the serious events caused by the conflict in the Galwan Valley, jointly abide by the consensus reached at the military-level meetings between the two sides, "cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible", and maintain peace and tranquility in the border area in accordance with the agreement reached so far between the two countries.

 

During the telephonic conversation, Jaishankar conveyed to Wang India's protest in the strongest terms on the violent face-off and said the unprecedented development will have "serious impact" on bilateral ties.He asked the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps.

 

"The Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties. It reflected an intent to change the facts on ground in violation of all our agreements to not change the status quo," he told Wang.

 

Wang said the two sides should follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and strengthen the communication and coordination on the proper handling of the border situation through the existing channels so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border area, according to the statement.

 

India on Tuesday said the violent face-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh was the result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo in the region.

 

The Ministry of External Affairs said both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement arrived earlier at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.

 

Wang emphasized that both China and India are emerging powers with a population of over one billion people, and accelerating "our own development and revitalisation is our respective historical missions".

 

For this reason, mutual respect and mutual support is the right direction for the two sides, which is in the long-term interests of the two countries; "mutual suspicion and mutual friction are evil paths, and contrary to the fundamental aspirations of the two peoples," he said. The Chinese foreign minister also alleged that on the evening of June 15, the Indian front-line frontier troops "blatantly broke the consensus" reached at the military-level meeting between the two sides.

 

Once the situation in the Galwan Valley has calmed down, they "crossed the LAC again and deliberately provoked and violently attacked" the officers and soldiers who negotiated on the spot, leading to fierce physical clashes, resulting in casualties, he claimed.

 

He said this "dangerous act of the Indian army seriously violated the agreement reached between the two countries on the border issue and seriously violated the basic norms of international relations." Wang demanded the Indian side to conduct a "thorough investigation" on this, "severely punish those responsible" for the incident, "strictly control the frontline troops", and "immediately stop all provocative actions" to ensure that such incidents cannot occur again.

 

"The Indian side must not misjudge the current situation, and must not underestimate China's firm will to safeguard the territorial sovereignty," he added.

6:04 PM

It was agreed that overall situation would be handled in responsible manner: MEA on talks between EAM Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart

5:57 PM

Troops should strictly respect Line of Actual Control and should not take any unilateral action to alter it: S Jaishankar tells Chinese FM Wang

5:52 PM

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announces compensation for families of two martyred soldiers in Galwan Valley clashes

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a government job for kin of each of the two soldiers from the state who died during clashes with the Chinese army at Galwan Valley on Monday. Rajesh Orang of Birbhum district and Bipul Roy of Alipurduar were among the 20 Indian Army personnel killed in the fierce clash on Monday night.

 

My heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave men martyred at #GalwanValley. I'm at pain to say that two of them belonged to West Bengal: Sepoy Rajesh Orang (Vill Belgoria, PS Md Bazar, Birbhum) & Bipul Roy on General Duty (Vill Bindipara, PS Samuktala, Alipurduar), Banerjee tweeted.

 

"Nothing can compensate for the supreme sacrifice made by them for the nation or the bereaved families' loss. We stand by the next of the sons of our soil in this difficult time. To this regard, we'll provide Rs 5 lakh & a GoWB job to one member in the deceased's family, she said.

5:49 PM

Neither side will take any action to escalate matters and will instead ensure peace and tranquility: MEA on Jaishankar-Wang talks on Ladakh

5:48 PM

S Jaishankar tells Chinese foreign minister that troops of both sides should abide by bilateral agreements and protocols: MEA

5:45 PM

S Jaishankar tells Chinese foreign minister that China took premeditated action that was responsible for violence and casualties: MEA

5:34 PM

Eastern Ladakh stand-ff LIVE: Grieving family members of martyred Galwan Valley soldiers

5:33 PM

Indian foreign ministry says China sought to erect structure in Indian-controlled territory: Reuters

5:30 PM

Indian foreign ministry says border clash with China will have "serious impact" on bilateral relationship: Reuters

5:25 PM

LAC tiff LIVE: EAM S Jaishankar speaks to Chinese counterpart over situation on LAC

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday spoke on the phone and discussed the situation in Eastern Ladakh. The telephonic conversation came in the backdrop of a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley in which both sides suffered casualties in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

 

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the violent face-off. Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the violent clash. The commanding officer of the Chinese Unit is among those killed, sources confirmed to ANI. Earlier in the day, China said that it does not wish to see "more clashes" with India.

 

"From the Chinese side, we do not wish to see more clashes," said Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. "We are having communication through diplomatic and military channels. The right and wrong of this is very clear... The incident happened on the Chinese side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) and China is not to blame for it," he added.

 

On Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said that violent face-off happened on late evening and night of June 15 in the Galwan Valley was caused by Chinese troops' attempt to "unilaterally change" the status quo during de-escalation, and the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.

 

Srivastava said both sides suffered casualties in the violent face-off and the Chinese side departed from the consensus to respect the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the Galwan Valley. Responding to media queries on the situation in the western sector of the India-China border, Srivastava had said that India and China have been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh.

5:23 PM

Govt should tell how 20 jawans were martyred, how China grabbed our land: Randeep Surjewala

5:22 PM

What happened in Galwan was premeditated and planned action by China: ANI quotes Indian Foreign Minister as saying

Wang Yi-S Jaishankar talks: Strong message conveyed by Indian Foreign Minister to China, “What happened in Galwan was premeditated and planned action by China which was responsible for the sequence of events.”: ANI

5:17 PM

LAC stand-ff LIVE: Why insult Indian Army by not naming China in your tweet? Rahul Gandhi slams Rajnath Singh