India Committed To Observing Status Quo At LAC With China - Foreign Ministry

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2020) India continues to abide by agreements reached during consultations with China with regard to the disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Anurag Srivastava said on Thursday.

On Monday, Indian and Chinese military commanders had a fourth in a series of consultations on the recent escalation on the border. They have reasserted commitment to mutual pullout of forces from the LAC in the western sector.

"This mutual re-deployment should not be misrepresented. There is absolutely no change with respect to India's position on the Line of Actual Control. We are fully committed to observing and respecting the LAC. Any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC are not acceptable," Srivastava said at a press briefing.

The spokesman described the process of disengagement as "complex" and called for avoiding "unsubstantiated and inaccurate reports" on the topic.

"The two sides will continue their diplomatic and military engagements," Srivastava said.

The spokesman also commented on the revived controversy in the South China Sea, saying that India considered it "a part of global commons" and "firmly stands for the freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in these international waterways."

The South China Sea is a region subject to China's long-standing maritime territorial claims which were not recognized internationally. There was an international arbitration launched by the Philippines over the matter at the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which Beijing refused to recognize.

The disputed area also stations US naval forces, with Washington maintaining that its boats will sail everywhere permitted by international law.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington's rejection of Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said that Washington could impose new sanctions on China over the matter.