Amid India-China border tension, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday, September 4 asserted that India remains firmly committed to preserving its territorial integrity, as well as sovereignty and will not yield on that ground.
Addressing the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on current diplomatic ties between India and China, Shringla expressed optimism about de-escalating and de-engaging the tensions across the Line of Actual Control (LOAC). But the Indian diplomat stood a firm ground on making any compromise when it comes to India's integrity.
The Foreign Secretary noted that India has had an unprecedented situation with China and
"we have lost the lives of soldiers for the first time in 40 years." He said, "There has been an attempt to take unilateral actions. We will be firm. There will be no compromise on sovereignty and integrity of India."
The Indian diplomat also said there is an open channel for any discussions on matters of de-escalating the border tensions and restoring peace in the tense LOAC. While ground commanders are in constant talks with China on the matter, Delhi and Beijing are engaged in diplomatic solutions to retain peace, he said.
Shringla's comments came a day after India imposed a ban on 118 Chinese Apps including PUBG. After this move, China's commerce ministry said it strongly opposed India banning these apps. While speaking at a press conference, Gao Feng, the spokesperson of the Chinese Commerce Ministry, urged India to reconsider the move and hoped "China-India economic and trade cooperation yields mutual benefits."
The tension between the two countries had escalated manifold after violent clashes in Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed and the Chinese side also suffered casualties. As per the U.S. intelligence, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.
