NEW DELHI: Armies of India and China continue to communicate with each other even as Chinese troops are in a face off position with Indian troops near the Rezang La heights, Indian Army sources said. Chinese soldiers fired in the air while attempting to close in on Indian positions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the Indian Army said today adding that Chinese PLA troops has been “blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres.” In a detailed statement the Army said on Tuesday that the Chinese troops yesterday were “attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate.” “It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive maneuvers, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress,” the Indian Army said. The Army’s statement came after China claimed that Indian troops “illegally crossed” the LAC near Pangong Tso on Monday and accordingly Chinese troops were forced to take “countermeasures” to stabilise the situation. It added that despite this provocation, the Indian troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a responsible manner. “Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility, however, it is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs,” it further said and refuted the statement by the Western Theatre Command (one of the five commands of China’s PLA) as an “attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience.”
