China's claims over Galwan Valley 'exaggerated and untenable': India
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As many as 20 members of Indian forces were killed in a clash with Chinese troops late on Monday in Ladakh, the first in the region since 1962 during the war between both the countries
In a strong rebuttal to Chinese claims of having sovereignty at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, the Indian foreign ministry on Wednesday called China's claims "exaggerated and untenable".
"As we have conveyed earlier today, External Affairs Minister and the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China had a phone conversation on recent developments in Ladakh," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
"Both sides have agreed that the overall situation should be handled in a responsible manner and that the understandings reached between Senior Commanders on 6th June should be implemented sincerely. Making exaggerated and untenable claims is contrary to this understanding."
India's response came after Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lijian Zhao on Wednesday said that sovereignty over the Galwan Valley has always belonged to China and the Indian border forces seriously violated Chinese border protocols and consensus reached on commander-level talks.
As many as 20 members of Indian forces were killed in a clash with Chinese troops late on Monday in Ladakh, the first in the region since 1962 during the war between both the countries.
The MEA on Wednesday also warned China that the Galwan Valley incident will have a "serious impact" on the bilateral relations and asked Beijing to reassess its actions and take corrective steps.