A Chinese military spokesperson said on Monday that Indian troops have broken their promises and again crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley region and provocatively attacked Chinese soldiers, hours after the Indian army accused the Chinese side of doing so.
Indian troops intruded in the China-controlled Galwan Valley on August 31, which broke the promises and consensus reached by two sides after rounds of dialogue, Western Theater Command spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili said in a statement.
Indian troops are responsible for the latest escalation, Zhang said.
We demand India immediately withdraw troops that had illegally intruded the Chinese border, and urge the Indian side to stop all provocative actions and strictly control frontline troops to avoid further escalation, Zhang added.
The Chinese army is taking all necessary measures to cope with the situation and it will firmly defend China's sovereignty and territory, he added.
Earlier on Monday, Indian army said in a statement that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) "violated the previous consensus reached in previous military and diplomatic engagements and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo" in the disputed eastern Ladakh region on the night of August 29/30.
It said Indian soldiers foiled the Chinese attempt.
The Galwan Valley, which is part of the disputed region, is located on the Chinese side of the LAC in the western section of the Sino-Indian border. And Chinese soldiers have patrolled the area for many years, according to China's Defense Ministry.
At Monday's regular briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also denied India's accusation, saying Chinese troops always abide by the LAC, and the two sides are maintaining diplomatic and military communications on the border dispute, but he didn't give more details on the talks.
China blames India for escalation in the Galwan Valley, and it has called on the Indian side to settle the dispute through military and diplomatic dialogue.
On May 6, Indian soldiers first intruded in the China-controlled Galwan Valley. Despite bilateral diplomatic efforts, Indian troops violated the newly-reached consensus and trespassed China's border and launched provocative attacks against Chinese personnel, leading to bloody conflicts between soldiers from both countries, according to a release by Beijing.
China has repeated that it hopes the Indian side can eventually meet China halfway and fully implement the consensus reached by the two sides and settle the dispute through dialogue and diplomatic ways.
After political negotiation, troops from both countries have disengaged from front-line contact in the Galwan Valley since early July.