India, China
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh meeting the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Li Keqiang, in New Delhi on May 20, 2013.PIB

The incursion of Chinese troops in the Chumar sector in Ladakh last month created an alarming "face-to-face situation" between the troops of the two countries, said official sources on Thursday.

The Chinese patrol transgressed into Indian territory on 17 June and was in a face-to-face situation with the Indian patrol before they returned to their bases.

The China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops entered Chumar sector on 17 June and vandalized and cut wires of high resolution cameras installed in the areas by the Indian army to check movement of the Chinese troops. The damaged cameras were returned to the Indian Army on 3 July at a flag meeting in Chusul area after negotiations between the two sides.

The Chinese troops also reportedly threatened the locals in Chumar and asked them to vacate the region claiming that it belongs to China.

The incident happened two months after Chinese troops allegedly intruded into Depsang, Ladakh, which caused tension in the border area. The drama ensued for a few weeks till China withdrew its troops from LAC. India accused Chinese troops of crossing LAC but the latter denied.

China on Wednesday defended the deeds of its troops in Chumar, claiming that they were patrolling on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and maintained that both countries should not change the status quo along the LAC till the final settlement on the disputed region is made.

"I have seen the relevant reports but I am not aware of the specific situation. Chinese Defence forces have been patrolling along the Chinese side of the LAC of the China-India border," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the reports of the intrusion in June.

"The general situation in the border areas is stable. We have the consensus that pending the final settlement of the boundary question none of us (India and China) should change the status quo along the LAC," she added.

The second incursion happened just 10 days before the 16th round of India-China Special Representatives talks involving India's National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi was held in Beijing. The two-day talk held on 28-29 June was to solve the impending border issue between the countries.

The Special Representatives talk was followed by the visit of Indian Defence Minister AK Antony to China on 4 July (four-day-visit) to discuss varied agendas, including border issues.

India's Defence Minister had said after his visit to Beijing that he was pleased with the talks on the management of the disputed border. He said that a consensus was reached with the military leadership that both countries would maintain peace and tranquility till they find a solution the border dispute and that the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) would help solve the problem.