India blames China for stand-offs on disputed border, claiming routine patrols were blocked
- Troops briefly skirmished nearly the eastern Indian state of Sikkim earlier this month and have also been locked in a weeks-long face-off in the Galwan region
- Chinese state-controlled Global Times said Indian troops had been trespassing and trying to erect illegal defence facilities since the beginning of May
The two countries have in recent years taken steps to build confidence between their militaries while expanding commercial ties. But the border remains an unresolved issue over which they went to war in 1962 and tensions erupt sometimes.
Troops briefly skirmished nearly the eastern Indian state of Sikkim earlier this month and have also been locked in a weeks-long face-off in the Galwan region in the western Himalayas.
Indian soldiers had stuck to their side of the Line of Actual Control that divides the two armies, foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said, blaming China for the latest row.
“All Indian activities are entirely on the Indian side of the LAC. In fact, it is Chinese side that has recently undertaken activity hindering India’s normal patrolling patterns,” he said in a statement.
