NEW DELHI, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to calm nerves over an alleged incursion by Chinese troops into India-claimed territory, saying the dispute could be resolved by diplomatic means.
“We do believe it is possible to resolve this problem. Talks are going on,” Singh told journalists. “It is a localized problem.”
Singh’s statement came a day after Indian Defense Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma told parliament that Chinese soldiers had put up tents some 12 miles into the disputed Himalayan border zone on April 15.
The area saw heavy fighting during the month-long war between China and India in 1962.
The informal border between China and India is called the Line of Actual Control. New Delhi and Beijing have signed two deals to keep the peace in the region.
China denied last week its troops had crossed the Line, but on Friday Beijing said the two nuclear-armed countries had the “wisdom” to solve the row through “friendly consultation”.
Singh also warned against a rise in tensions between the two countries, whose bilateral trade hit nearly $76 billion last year.
