India-China border tension: A new flashpoint in South Asia
Al JazeeraDeadly violence in Himalayan region after thousands of troops from both sides face-off for weeks. India’s External Affairs Ministry on Wednesday accused the Chinese side of attempting “to unilaterally change the status quo” in Galwan Valley – a key geostrategic junction in the Himalayan region where India is building a road to connect to an airstrip close to China. Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi spoke to his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on Wednesday and expressed his willingness for “a diplomatic solution” to the border crisis, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “I think any conversation about Chinese motivation for its recent provocation has to address the repeal of Article 370.” “I think it’s clear, Beijing responded strongly and quickly after India made that move last year. “Chinese control of Galwan Valley could in the future threaten India in Siachen glacier.” For Modi, a Hindu nationalist who won re-election in May 2019 following military conflagration with its foe Pakistan, the border crisis comes at a time when New Delhi is facing an economic crisis as it struggles to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.