China’s protection minister says circumstances alongside the tense, high-altitude border with India are “stable overall,” in sharp distinction with the much more pessimistic view from New Delhi.

The remarks from Li Shangfu got here in a press release issued shortly after a gathering Thursday along with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. “China and India have far more common interests than differences,” Li was quoted as saying.

“At present, conditions on the China-Indian border are stable overall,” Li mentioned. The sides ought to “take a long-term view, put the border issue at an appropriate place in bilateral relations, and promote the normalization of the border situation as soon as possible,” he mentioned.

In its personal assertion, India’s Defense Ministry quoted Singh as saying China had eroded the “entire basis” of ties between the nations by violating bilateral agreements, in reference to an almost 3-year-old standoff involving hundreds of troopers stationed alongside their disputed border within the Ladakh area.

The growth of China-India relations “is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders” and all border points should be resolved in accordance with present agreements and commitments, the ministry mentioned in a press release.

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The differing tone of the statements displays India’s need to attract consideration to what it says is the deployment of a lot of Chinese troops, their aggressive conduct, and makes an attempt to unilaterally alter the border establishment between the nations.

China, for its half, has tried to downplay strikes to consolidate its border presence and infrequently portrays the frictions as a part of deliberate U.S. makes an attempt to sow discord between the 2 nuclear-armed Asian giants.

A conflict three years in the past in Ladakh killed 20 Indian troopers and 4 Chinese. It changed into a long-running standoff within the rugged mountainous space, the place either side has stationed tens of hundreds of army personnel backed by artillery, tanks, and fighter jets.

Days earlier than Li’s go to, prime Indian and Chinese military commanders held an 18th spherical of talks in an try and work out a disengagement of troops from tense areas. Such discussions have helped lay protocols to keep away from clashes however have completed little to nothing to resolve the bigger difficulty.

Both India and China have withdrawn troops from some areas on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra, and Galwan Valley, however proceed to take care of additional troops as a part of a multitier deployment.

A Line of Actual Control separates Chinese- and Indian-held territories from Ladakh within the west to India’s jap state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. As its identify implies, the demarcation line divides the areas of bodily management reasonably than territorial claims. But China and India additionally disagree on the place the LAC lies. India accuses China of trying to shift the road by way of repeated incursions.

India and China fought a bloody monthlong struggle over their border in 1962 and tensions have remained excessive within the area ever since, with the dispute at instances fueling robust anti-China sentiment in India.

According to India, the de facto border is 3,488 kilometers (2,167 miles) lengthy, though China promotes a significantly shorter determine.

In all, China claims some 90,000 sq. kilometers (35,000 sq. miles) of territory in India’s northeast, together with Arunachal Pradesh with its primarily Buddhist inhabitants.

In the western sector, India says China occupies 38,000 sq. kilometers (15,000 sq. miles) of its territory within the Aksai Chin Plateau, which India considers a part of Ladakh, the place the present face-off is occurring.

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Li is visiting New Delhi to attend a gathering of the protection chiefs of the Chinese and Russian-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday.

The group, shaped initially to constrain U.S. affect within the area, consists of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.