In search of a solution to the border dispute in the Himalayas, the Indian and Chinese defense ministers met for a meeting. The meeting was the first at ministerial level since a fatal incident in June. It took place on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) yesterday in Moscow, as both sides have now confirmed. No progress appears to have been made.
China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said, according to state news agency Xinhua, responsibility for the deadlock lies „entirely on India’s side.“ The Chinese army will defend „every inch of territory“. According to a statement from his ministry, his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh accused China of concentrating troops, of „aggressive behavior“ and of attempting to unilaterally change the status quo.
At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a military clash in June. It was the worst border incident between the two nuclear powers in decades. Then there were de-escalation talks by military representatives. The dispute between Asian rivals over the common border has been going on for a long time. In the 1960s they fought a short war that China won.
