India accuses China of fresh border 'provocation'

The Indian military on Monday accused Chinese troops of carrying out "provocative" movements along a disputed section of the border between the two countries, according to a statement on Monday.

The incident is said to have taken place on the night into Sunday on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, in the Eastern Ladakh region of the Himalayas.

Chinese and Indian troops are engaged in an ongoing standoff along the border. In June, at least 20 soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand combat not far from the site of the latest incident.

China's Foreign Ministry has dismissed the latest allegations by India.

India's Defense Ministry said local military commanders from the two bordering nations would meet along the disputed frontier on Monday to resolve the issues.

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'Provocative military movements'

Indian army spokesman Colonel Aman Anand said in a statement earlier on Monday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops "violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements."

Anand claimed PLA troops carried out "provocative military movements to change the status quo."

The Indian military said it pre-empted the activity and stopped "Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground."

The Indian military did not report any casualties or provide details on whether there was a clash.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing that Chinese border troops "always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control, and never cross the line," referring to the unofficial border.

Zhao added that border troops on both sides were in communication over the situation on the ground.

A history of tension

The two Asian powers fought a border war in 1962 and have been involved in regular showdowns ever since.

Following the deadly June clash, which saw Chinese and Indian soldiers fight each other with stones and iron rods, the Chinese and Indian militaries have poured tens of thousands of troops into the region.

km/stb (AP, AFP)