Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised on the need to continue discussions through
diplomatic and military channels in order to ensure de-escalation along the LAC
during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on Friday.

The defence
minister met Fenghe, the State Councillor and Defence Minister of China on the
sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow. Defence
Secretary Ajay Kumar and Indian envoy to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma were also a
part of the Indian delegation, PTI reported quoting sources.

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The Defence Minister’s Office, in a series of tweets, released the details of the meeting between the two leaders. “The current situation should be
handled responsibly and that neither side should take any further action that
could either complicate the situation or escalate matters in the border areas,” Rajnath Singh during the meeting.

Singh also
said that the “actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing of large
number of troops, their aggressive behaviour and attempts to unilaterally alter
the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements”.

China
launched an unsuccessful bid to occupy Indian territory along the southern bank
of the Pangong Tso Lake on August 31, reigniting tensions between the two
nations embroiled in a border standoff for months.

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“It was
important therefore that Chinese side should work with the Indian side for
complete disengagement at the earliest from all friction areas including
Pangong Lake as well as de-escalation in border areas in accordance with the
bilateral agreements & protocols,” the defence minister’s office tweeted.

India
occupies a number of strategic high ground points along the southern bank of
the lake and has strengthened its presence in the Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas
to retaliate to any Chinese aggression.

While China
has objected to India’s move, calling for it to withdraw all troops from the
area, India has maintained that the heights are on its side of the LAC.

Singh told Fenghe
that “Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border
management, but at the same time there should be no doubt about our
determination to protect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The two
countries have been locked in a border standoff since May, with 20 Indian
soldiers and several Chinese soldiers being killed in clashes at Ladakh’s
Galwan Valley on June 15.