The two sides will continue to meet both militarily and diplomatically, the government said.
New Delhi:
India said on Thursday that it expects China to guarantee the rapid restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas, in accordance with the provisions of the relevant bilateral pacts, the armies of the two countries remaining engaged in a seven-week bitter deadlock in eastern Ladakh.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, while referring to the ban on 59 Chinese apps, said companies operating in India will have to follow established rules and regulatory framework, including those relating to security. data and the confidentiality of individual data.
Asked about the corps commander talks on Tuesday, he said the two sides would continue to meet at the military and diplomatic levels to resolve “mutual satisfaction” problems.
He said the discussions at the last meeting of senior commanders reflected the commitment of the two sides to reduce tensions along the actual line of control (LAC), the de facto border of 3,500 km between the two countries.
“The two sides will continue their meetings at both the military and diplomatic levels, including under the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination) in the future to resolve issues to mutual satisfaction,” said Mr. Srivastava.
“We hope that the Chinese side will sincerely follow and ensure the rapid restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols,” he said.
Regarding the ban on Chinese applications, he said that India would continue to welcome foreign investment, including in the area of Internet technology, but that businesses would have to operate in accordance with the country’s rules and regulatory framework.
He said India has one of the most open regimes in the world to attract foreign direct investment and that the government has taken a series of steps to create a more investor-friendly regime in recent years.
“Similarly in the field of digital technology and the Internet, India has adopted a very open regime. India is today one of the world‘s largest markets for digital technologies and the Internet with more than 680 million subscribers, “he said.
Srivastava said the world‘s largest Internet software and application companies are present in India and must abide by the country’s rules and regulations, including those relating to data security and privacy. individual data.
“We will continue to welcome foreign investment in India, including in the area of Internet technology, but this will have to be in accordance with the rules and regulatory framework established by the government,” he said.
In the middle of the border deadlock between the two countries, the government has banned 59 Chinese applications, including the popular TikTok.
The Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in a bitter deadlock in several places in eastern Ladakh for seven weeks. Tensions soared after the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the line of duty in a violent confrontation in the Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese side has also suffered losses, but has not yet given details.
Speaking of military talks on Tuesday, the MEA spokesman said the two sides stressed the need for “rapid de-escalation, step by step and step-by-step first”.
This, he said, is in line with the agreement between Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in their June 17 conversation that the overall situation would be managed responsibly.
He also spoke of the two parties’ determination to sincerely apply the June 6 disengagement agreement.
“The discussions at the last senior commanders’ meeting reflected the commitment of the two sides to reduce tensions along the LAC,” said Srivastava.
The Indian delegation to the meeting was chaired by the commander of the 14th Corps, Lt. Gen. Singh, while the Chinese side was chaired by the commander of the Tibetan Military District General, Liu Lin.
This was the third engagement at the senior military commander level to discuss issues related to disengagement from face-off locations along the LAC and de-escalation of border areas.
In the two previous rounds of talks, the Indian side demanded the immediate withdrawal of Chinese troops from various regions of the region.
Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government gave the armed forces “complete freedom” to give a “proper” response to any Chinese mishap along the LAC, the de facto 3,500 km border.
The first round of Lt General’s talks took place on June 6 during which the two sides finalized an agreement to gradually disengage from all points of disagreement starting with the Galwan Valley. However, the situation has deteriorated as a result of the clashes in the Galwan Valley, as the two sides have significantly increased their deployments in most areas along the LAC.
The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after about 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in a violent confrontation on May 5 and 6. The Pangong Tso incident was followed by a similar incident in northern Sikkim on May 9.
