Indian military called on to show sincerity

A Chinese military official said on Monday that the Indian military made unreasonable and unrealistic demands during the latest corps-commander level talks between the two sides.

The 13th corps-commander level talks were held at the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point on the Chinese side on Sunday.

Senior Colonel Long Shaohua, a spokesman for the Western Theater of the People's Liberation Army, said China has made great efforts and fully demonstrated its sincerity to promote the de-escalation of the border situation and maintain relations between the militaries.

He said China has an unwavering determination and will to safeguard its national sovereignty.

"We hope that the Indian side will not misjudge the situation," he said, adding that the Indian military should cherish the current hard-won situation in the Sino-Indian border area, abide by the agreements and consensus between the two countries, show sincerity and take actions to maintain peace and tranquillity together with the Chinese side.

Long's remarks came after a Chinese military source said on Saturday that Chinese troops had encountered "unreasonable obstruction" from the Indian military during a routine patrol on Sept 28 in the Dongzhang area on the Chinese side of the Sino-Indian border.

The source said the Chinese troops took resolute countermeasures and returned after the patrol was completed. Calling the Indian obstruction a "deliberate provocation" which seriously violated bilateral agreements, the source added that "the responsibility rests entirely with the Indian side".

India's Ministry of Defence said in a statement that it made "constructive suggestions" but the Chinese side was "not agreeable" and "could not provide any forward-looking proposals".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a news briefing on Monday that the Indian statement was "entirely groundless".

Lin Minwang, deputy director of Fudan University's Center for South Asian Studies, said that China attaches great importance to relations between the militaries and has taken actions based on consideration of the overall situation, but the Indian side has started to become more aggressive, hence the tough statement from the Chinese military.

He said Senior Colonel Long's remarks delivered a clear message that the Chinese military will not make any further concessions and that India should work harder to stabilize relations.