China terms Galwan clash 'unfortunate'; says it sees India a partner, not a rival

Terming the Galwan Valley clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred as an 'unfortunate incident', China's Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said that both China and India are working to handle the situation at LAC.

"Not long ago, an unfortunate incident happened in the border areas that neither China nor India would like to see. Now we are working to handle it properly. It is a brief moment from the perspective of history," the Chinese Ambassador said while speaking at China-India youth webinar.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India 70 years ago, bilateral relations have withstood tests and become more resilient, said Weidong. He was convinced that the two ancient civilizations have the wisdom and ability to properly handle bilateral relations.

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"China sees India as a partner instead of a rival, and an opportunity instead of a threat. We hope to put the boundary in question at an appropriate place in bilateral relations, properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, and push bilateral relations back on track at an early date," the Ambassador said.

The Chinese Ambassador emphasised that the economic reciprocity between China and India is very strong. He implored that the countries should “live in peace and avoid conflicts.”

"China has been India's largest trading partner for many years in a row, while India is also China's largest trading partner in South Asia. The Chinese and Indian economies are interwoven and interdependent," he said. "I think the two big economies of China and India should attract each other like magnets, rather than forcefully separate them," Sun Weidong said.

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India-China standoff at LAC

India and China are engaged in a standoff at the Galwan valley in Ladakh since April-May over the intrusions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Fingers area, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.

Diplomatic talks to deescalate the situation between the two sides have been going on for the last three months including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.

The Chinese Army has refused to withdraw completely from the Finger area and seems to be buying time to delay its disengagement from there. Meanwhile, India has rejected the Chinese suggestion to disengage at equidistance from the Finger area in Eastern Ladakh.

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(With inputs from agency)