''Incident'' took place between Indian, Chinese troops in Ladakh: Govt

New Delhi, August 18

India on Friday said it will continue to engage with China to find a mutually acceptable solution to the Dokalam standoff, while confirming that “an incident” did take place between Chinese troops and Indian border guards in Ladakh on August 15.

“We will continue to engage with China to find a mutually acceptable solution,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said replying to a volley of questions on the issue.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He said peace and tranquility in the border areas is an important pre-requisite for smooth development of bilateral relationship.

Asked about the incident between Chinese troops and Indian border guards in Ladakh on August 15, the MEA spokesperson said, “Such incidents are not in the interest of either side.”

The incident occurred when land-based patrols of both sides came face to face north of the Pangong Tso (lake) in eastern Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

The MEA spokesperson said two border personnel meetings (BPMs) had taken place between Indian border guards and Chinese troops recently.

He said one BPM had taken place at Chushul on August 16 and another one at Nathu La a week before.

‘Haven’t received hydrological data from China’

Asked if China has shared hydrological data with India in the backdrop of floods in Assam, Kumar said there is an existing expert-level mechanism, established in 2006, and there are two MoUs under which China is expected to share hydrological data on the rivers Satluj and Brahmaputra with India during the flood season of May 15 to June 15.

“For this year, we have not received hydrological data from the Chinese side,” the spokesperson said.

However, he added that it was “premature” to link it with the floods in Assam.

He also noted that in view of floods in Bihar, India was closely coordinating with Nepal, both at the Centre and state levels.

Asked about the reported comments of the Japanese Ambassador on Dokalam faceoff and if India welcomes it, Kumar gave a very guarded reaction, saying the remarks speak for themselves.

The Japanese ambassador was quoted in media as saying that no country should use unilateral forces to alter the status of Dokalam.

“We recognise Dokalam is a disputed area between Bhutan and China and two countries are engaged in border talks... We also understand that the India has a treaty understanding with Bhutan that’s why Indian troops got involved in the area,” the ambassador had reportedly said.

Kumar also refused to divulge details of communication by other countries to India on the Dokalam issue. PTI