India says border with China ‘unpredictable’ but stable

New Delhi, Jan 12 (EFE).- Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande said Thursday that the situation on the de facto border with China is “unpredictable” but is under control, despite having noted a “slight increase” in Chinese troops in the eastern sector following a clash between soldiers of the two countries.

“Though unpredictable, the situation at the northern borders is stable and under control. We have been able to resolve five of the seven issues on the table in the talk as our preparedness is of very high level and we have enough reserves to deal with any contingency,” Pande said at a press conference.

The statement comes after a clash on Dec.9 in the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), or the de facto border between the two countries, in which soldiers from both sides were wounded.

The incident marked the latest escalation in tensions between the two neighbors, with New Delhi accusing Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops of trying to change the status quo at the border.

Bilateral relations between India and China have been seriously affected since a border clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 in the western Himalayas.

It marked the worst clash in 45 years between the nuclear powers, in which at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed and 76 wounded, while Beijing said four of its troops were dead and one seriously wounded.

India and China have a historic dispute over several Himalayan regions, with Beijing claiming Arunachal Pradesh, controlled by New Delhi, which in turn claims the Aksai Chin, administered by the Communist state. EFE

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