A day after a visiting US General termed the Chinese activity level in eastern Ladakh as "eye-opening", the Chinese embassy in New Delhi reacted sharply by labeling the allegations a deliberate attempt to create confrontation between the two Asian countries.
Wang Xiaojian, spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in India, said Charles A Flynn, commanding general of the US Army Pacific, made "allegations against China without any factual basis, which also violates the norms of international relations and basic principles of diplomacy."
"The current situation at the China-India border is generally stable, with both sides engaging in dialogue and consultation to address the issue. China and India have the will and ability to handle their differences properly. There's no space for a third party to intervene," the Chinese spokesman said.
The Indian foreign ministry also refused to respond directly to the comments by Flynn, but reiterated that New Delhi "carefully monitors" developments along the border areas.
Flynn, in an interaction with journalists in New Delhi on Wednesday, said: "I believe that the activity level is eye-opening, and some of the infrastructures that are being created in the [Chinese Army's] western theatre command are alarming."
"One must ask 'why does China's military need such an arsenal in all domains?'" he added.
However, the Chinese spokesman categorised infrastructure development as "defensive in nature".
"It is preposterous for the US, a country that runs more than 800 military bases overseas and sends its military to flex muscles everywhere, to accuse China of its normal national defence construction on its own territory," Wang emphasised.
Noting that another round of Corps Commander talks would be held very soon, India's Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said it is India's "expectation that in these talks the Chinese side will work with the Indian side to reach a mutually acceptable solution for remaining issues".
New Delhi and Beijing maintain that prolonging the "existing situation" is not in the interest of either side.
India and China have held 15 Rounds of Senior Commanders' Meetings to disengage in the entire stretch of the Ladakh sector.
Both sides had deployed thousands of troops and military hardware in the forward locations in the Ladakh sector since 2020, when clashes over border infrastructure work escalated into violent fights in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in the Galwan valley.