New Delhi
\nIndian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has told his Chinese counterpart that military deployments on their disputed Himalayan frontier were undermining relations and called for disengagement to preserve \u201cpeace and tranquillity\u201d.
\nRelations between the two Asian powers have been fraught since a high-altitude clash that left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead in June 2020.
\nThe neighbours have since massed tens of thousands of soldiers along the border, who remain despite 18 rounds of talks between top military officials of both countries.
\nSingh held talks with his Chinese opposite number General Li Shangfu on Thursday ahead of a meeting of defence ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which India is chairing this year.
\nThe Indian defence minister stated New Delhi\u2019s position \u201ccategorically\u201d, a statement from his ministry said late on Thursday.
\n\u201cHe reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,\u201d it added.
\nIndia is wary of its northern neighbour\u2019s growing military assertiveness and disputes over their 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) shared frontier are a perennial source of tension.
\nChina claims all of India\u2019s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, considering it part of Tibet, and the two fought a border war in 1962.
\nBeijing and New Delhi have regularly accused each other of trying to seize territory along their unofficial divide, known as the Line of Actual Control.
\nThe clash in 2020 along the western border dividing Tibet from the Indian state of Ladakh led to a sharp deterioration in relations, with both sides sending major reinforcements to the area.
\nLi said in a statement published online on Friday that the situation on the border was \u201cstable\u201d.
\n\u201cWe hope that both sides can work together to continuously enhance mutual trust,\u201d the statement added.
\nIndia currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO, a forum established in 2001 which also includes Russia and Pakistan, among others, rivalling Western institutions.
\nMoscow\u2019s defence minister Sergei Shoigu was also in New Delhi to attend Friday\u2019s meeting, Russian news agencies reported.
\nIndia\u2019s long-standing security ties with Russia have put it in an awkward diplomatic position in the wake of Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.
\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government has walked a tightrope between the country\u2019s increased security cooperation with Western countries and its reliance on Russia for defence and oil imports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has told his Chinese counterpart that military deployments on their disputed Himalayan frontier were undermining relations and called for disengagement to preserve \u201cpeace and tranquillity\u201d. Relations between the two Asian powers have been fraught since a high-altitude clash that left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-328168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n