China assails India over reported road project in disputed territory amid rising border tension

China slammed India on Thursday over a report that it plans to build a road in territory disputed between the two countries, after weeks of tension elsewhere along the border.

India’s newly approved road project will run through the disputed Ladakh region close to Pangong Lake, the country’s Hindustan Times reported Tuesday.

A separate Chinese attempt to build a road in the Doklam area – which is disputed between China and Bhutan – has prompted a stand-off between hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers which has lasted for more than two months.

“The Indian side is closely following China’s road building recently, but the Indians’ actions themselves have proven that the Indian side says one thing and does another,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing.

She said the reported decision to build a road in Ladakh is “in complete contradiction to its deeds in terms of the border issues”.