Opposition after Indian drone crashes in China

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China has spoken with India and demanded the Indian side immediately stop its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)'s use near to or on the border, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang during a regular news briefing on Thursday.

Geng pointed out the Sikkim section of the China-India border is officially defined and the Indian UAV intruded into Chinese territory, violating Chinese territorial sovereignty and harming to the peace and stability of the border areas of the two countries, he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang stands at Regular Press Conference on December 6, 2017. /MOFA Photo

Zhang Shuili, deputy head of the combat bureau of the Western Theater Command's joint staff department, earlier this morning confirmed that the drone had crashed in Chinese territory, but did not reveal the location.

"An Indian UAV intruded into Chinese airspace and crashed recently, a move that violated Chinese territorial sovereignty and we are strongly dissatisfied with and opposed to it," Zhang said.

"We will fulfill our mission and responsibility and defend China's national sovereignty and security resolutely," he added.

India's Ministry of Defense (MoD) responded by saying the drone's intrusion was caused by a technical malfunction. However, the exact cause of the incident is under investigation

"An Indian UAV which was on a regular training mission inside Indian territory lost contact with the ground control due to some technical problem and crossed over the LAC in the Sikkim Sector", the MoD said on its official website.

"The matter is being dealt with in accordance with the established protocols through institutional mechanisms designed to deal with situations along the India-China border areas," it added.

(Top image file photo)