Ladakh border clash caused by India, says Chinese defence ministry

BEIJING: Beijing said that the border clash between China and India which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, was caused by the Indian side.

The Indian actions violated a consensus between the two countries and were a unilateral provocation, the Chinese defence ministry said on Wednesday from its social media account.

The June 15 battle, reportedly fought with fists, clubs and rocks, was the first time troops have been killed on their border since 1975 and marked a major deterioration in ties between the two Asian giants.

A day earlier, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that after talks between the top regional military commanders on Monday, both sides “agreed to take necessary measures to promote a cooling of the situation”.

“The holding of this meeting shows that both sides want to deal with their disagreement, manage the situation and de-escalate the situation through dialogue and consultations,” Zhao told a regular news conference.

The two sides “exchanged frank and in-depth views” and “agreed to maintain dialogue and jointly committed to promoting peace and tranquility in the border areas”, Zhao added.