China says it abides by border agreements after reports of face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said Beijing had consistently followed border agreements with India, responding to reports of face-offs between the two sides in Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China had conducted routine patrols and management activities in the border areas to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maintain stability.

"China has consistently and strictly abided by the relevant agreements and important understandings between the two countries, conducting routine patrols and management activities in the border areas to safeguard territorial sovereignty and border stability," Guo said.

He added that China and India remained in contact through diplomatic and military channels and called on New Delhi to work with Beijing to maintain peace along the border.

"China hopes India will work in the same direction to jointly implement the understandings reached by both sides and take concrete steps to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.

MEA Responds to Reports of PLA Face-Offs

The Chinese statement comes after India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) addressed reports of continuing face-offs involving the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.

The MEA said the specifics of the reported incidents should be addressed by the Ministry of Defence. It also noted that tensions along the India-China border arise from time to time when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns.

"As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns," the MEA said.

It added that both countries continued to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings or miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The ministry also said the two sides had agreed to discuss ways to improve their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas to strengthen border management.

"I would also like to emphasise that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," the MEA said.

India, China Reaffirm Commitment to Border Peace

On August 25, the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China on the boundary question was held in Beijing.

During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to following the guidance provided by their respective leaders, maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and creating conditions for the healthy and steady development of bilateral relations.

The two countries also stressed the need to advance negotiations on a framework for settling the boundary question. They agreed to pursue a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution in line with the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question, as well as the consensus reached during subsequent Special Representatives' talks.

Both sides further agreed that any situation arising on the ground would be addressed promptly through established diplomatic and military channels. These include the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms.

The aim, they said, was to resolve outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings or miscalculations along the LAC.

(With ANI inputs)