New Delhi: As Indian and Chinese militaries have initiated the third round of talks at Chushul on Tuesday, following the fresh skirmishes at Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh, Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China did not provoke any conflict and suggested to take measures to ensure peace in the region.

Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China never provoked any war or conflict and never occupied an inch of other country's territory.

“China border troops never crossed the line. Perhaps there are some communication issues,” Hua Chunying said.

“I think both sides should stick to facts and have goodwill in maintaining the bilateral relations & take concrete measures to safeguard peace, tranquillity along the border,” Chunying added.

The Indian Army, however, has officially denied any skirmish.

High-level meeting by Defence Ministry 

Meanhwile, high-level meeting is also underway at Defence Ministry under Rajnath Singh, in which Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and CDS Bipin Rawat with the chiefs of the three forces are present. The meeting aims to draw future strategy on Ladakh.

Third Phase Of Military Level Talk

A Brigade Commander-level talk started at 10 a.m. in Chushul on the Indian side, following the fresh escalations.  The agenda of the deliberation were the fresh development at three contentious points on the southern banks of the Pangong Lake. India has also raised concerns about Chinese deployment in areas near the Black Top and Helmet Top.

The Indian Army  issued a statement saying ‘that on the intervening night of August 29 and August 30, 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus agreed in military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.'

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong lake, and undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground," the force said in the report.

The Indian Army also stated that they are committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue, but are also equally determined to protect India's territorial integrity.