'China complying with consensus to maintain peace along LAC'

Beijing, Sept 15 (PTI) Amid reports of Chinese border
incursions and cross-border firing, China Tuesday said that it
was "strictly" abiding by the "consensus" reached with India
to maintain peace along the disputed boundary.

"The Chinese and Indian governments have reached
consensus on border issues -- that is the two sides will
jointly strive to safeguard peace in the region before final
settlement," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu
said at a biweekly press briefing.

"China has always strictly abided by the consensus,"
she said.

Responding to a query on a report that two Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) personnel were injured by bullets
fired from the Chinese side along the Line of Actual Control
(LAC) in Sikkim two weeks ago, Jiang said "I have replied to
this question earlier. For more details, you may contact the
concerned department."

At the same time, she said that some Indian media
outlets were releasing "inaccurate information."

"It's hard to understand some Indian media's purpose
when they publish reports that are not accurate," she said
and hoped that the Indian media will do more to contribute to
improvement of Sino-Indian relations.

At the latest round of boundary talks in August, China
and India agreed the two countries should push forward the
talks process and seek a just and fair formula to solve
problems acceptable to both sides.

Last week, China had brushed aside reports of its
border guards having intruded into Ladakh and painted boulders
and rocks red there.

At that time, Jiang had dismissed the reports of border
intrusions as "groundless and incorrect."

India says China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq kms
of Jammu and Kashmir, including 5,180 sq km illegally ceded to
Beijing by Islamabad under the Sino-Pakistan boundary
agreement in 1963. China accuses India of possessing some
90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal
Pradesh. PTI AKJ
SDE