China refutes trespass claims
- Source: Global Times
- [05:07 September 10 2009]
- Comments
By Kang Juan
China's border patrol strictly abides by the relevant agreements on the Line of Actual Control along the China-India border and has never carried out "provocative actions" toward India, a press official of China's Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.
"The recent reports by Indian media of intrusions are groundless and irresponsible," the official, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Global Times.
The statement followed remarks Tuesday by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu, who dismissed the Indian media reports as "groundless and incorrect."
According to Indian media reports on Sunday, Chinese troops entered nearly 1.5 kilometers into Indian territory near Mount Gya in the Ladakh region, recognized as the international border by India and China, and painted boulders and rocks with red spray paint.
This latest development comes after an earlier report by Indian media that Chinese helicopters had violated Indian air space along the Line of Actual Control in the Chumar region in June and dropped some out-of-date food from the aircraft.
"Indian media always quotes government officials as their sources, but the Chinese military has not received any protests from the Indian Ministry of Defense recently," a source close to the Chinese military told the Global Times, adding that the reports have "greatly displeased" officials in the Chinese military.
China and India share a border of about 2,000 kilometers. The disputed areas cover about 125,000 square kilometers. The two sides have signed several agreements to maintain peace and build trust between the two militaries in border areas. In 2003, the two neighbors established the government-representative mechanism.
According to the source, a senior military delegation from India visited China recently and the militaries of the two nations have a good relationship and specific contact channels.
Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said Monday that the border with China is "one of the most peaceful boundaries that we have had."
Ouyang Wei, a Chinese military expert from the University of National Defense, noted that the negative reports on China by Indian media far exceed those made by Chinese media
on India, which is a very significant problem in bilateral relations.
"The Indian government should investigate the irresponsible reports, to find the sources of the fake news, and refute the rumors," Ouyang said.
