New Delhi has rejected China’s criticism of the ongoing high-altitude military drills between Indian and US troops, stating that no country is able to “veto” their relations.
The comments came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian took aim at the drills during a briefing on Wednesday. Zhao said that the exercises, which are taking place around 100 kilometers from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, have “violated the spirit of relevant agreements” signed between New Delhi and Beijing in 1993 and 1996.
The Border Peace and Tranquillity Agreement (BPTA) signed between India and China in 1993 was the first of the five border pacts between the two neighbors to manage their border differences. It stated that both sides will “strictly” observe the LAC pending a final settlement of the boundary question and cautions against large-scale military deployments by either side. Other agreements were signed in 1996, 2005, 2012 and 2013.
Responding to the Chinese criticism, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the military exercises have “nothing to do” with the 1993 and 1996 agreements at a media briefing on Thursday.
“The Chinese side needs to reflect and think about its own breach of these agreements. India exercises with whomsoever it chooses, and doesn't give a veto to third countries on this issue,” the Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson remarked, reiterating New Delhi’s criticism of Beijing for reportedly violating the relevant border pacts amid the ongoing standoff between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the eastern Ladakh region.
Bagchi said that India would continue to hold military drills with whichever country it wanted.
The Ladakh standoff began in May 2020 over differing perceptions of the LAC and escalated to deadly clashes in the Galwayn Valley between the two forces in June of the same year, leading to the deaths of 20 Indian and four PLA troops.
India and China disengaged their troops from the last remaining friction point of Gogra-Hot Springs during the talks in September this year. However, a total de-escalation of the situation in the eastern Ladakh region has yet to be achieved, with over 50,000 troops from both sides still engaged in a standoff at the Daulat Beg Oldie sector, strategically located near the tri-junction of the present borders (disputed by New Delhi) of India, China and Pakistan.