China warns India against crossing border after 3 Indian soldiers killed

By Aarti Tikoo Singh 

New Delhi/Beijing, June 16 China has asked India to restrain from crossing the border after three Indian soldiers were killed in action during violent clashes with the Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh where both sides have been locked in a face-off since May.

The Chinese media quoted China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying that he has lodged “solemn representations with the Indian side and urged it to strictly restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border or taking any unilateral action that may complicate the border situation”.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian earlier said that Indian troops had crossed the LAC twice on Monday, “provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides”.

While Beijing mentioned that three Indian Army soldiers were killed, it did not specify whether People’s Liberation Army suffered any casualties in the clashes.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the Indian troops on Monday had seriously violated the consensus between the two sides by illegally crossing the border. “China and Indian side agreed to resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue to ease the border situation and maintain peace and tranquility in border areas,” the ministry said.