India solely responsible for border clash in Galwan Valley: Spokesman

Responsibility for the recent clash at the border area of China and India was utterly on the Indian side, and China always wishes to safeguard peace and stability at border regions, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian said at the ministry's regular news conference that the June 15 clash happened because India's frontline border forces violated accords and consensus reached previously by both sides and made provocations by trespassing into the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control at the Galwan Valley.

When Chinese troops were trying to negotiate the matter, they were suddenly attacked by Indian soldiers. This led to fierce physical confrontations between the two sides, in which the Chinese troops used defensive measures and fought back to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Wu said.

The entire incident was caused by India's betrayal of consensus and unilateral provocations, and the incident took place on the Chinese side of the control line.

China demands that India punish those responsible for the matter, strictly control its frontline forces, and make sure such incident will not happen again, according to the spokesman.

Wu also said that after the clash, China and India have communicated and negotiated through their military and diplomatic channels. Officers from both sides exchanged views on easing the tensions and maintaining the border areas' peace and stability during the second round of talks between high-ranking officers at the level of group army commander that took place on Monday.

He noted that the two sides are discussing having a teleconference between the two defense ministers.

Knowing that the peace and stability in border areas are in the interest of both sides, China hopes that India could work together to fulfill consensus made by national leaders from both countries, honor agreements and accords between the two sides, address related issues via talks and negotiations, and strive to ease border tensions and safeguard peace and stability on border regions, Wu said.