The minister spoke about the June 15 Galwan Valley incident and said “it is not surprising that something went horribly wrong” when soldiers are so close to each other on the border

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has put in black and white the current state of bilateral relationship with China in the wake of the raging border dispute in Ladakh. Jaishankar minced no words when he said that India is in the “most difficult phase with China in the last 30-40 years”.

Referring to the ongoing confrontation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and other areas, the minister said that “the Chinese have brought in tens of thousands of soldiers with full military preparation” to the de facto border.

“Naturally, the relationship will be profoundly disturbed,” Jaishankar said, calling out China's provocation along the border amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The minister spoke about the June 15 Galwan Valley incident and said “it is not surprising that something went horribly wrong” when soldiers are so close to each other on the border.

The Galwan incident has completely changed the national sentiment against China, he said, noting that the last time casualties were suffered on the border was in 1975.

On June 15, soldiers from India and China had engaged in a physical clash during which 20 Indian Army troops died, including a commanding officer. China’s People’s Liberation Army too suffered an unspecified number of casualties.

More Talks Soon: China

On Tuesday, a senior Chinese official said that both countries continue to remain in close communication to further ease border tensions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that further consultations over specific issues for the next round of talks are due soon.

India and China had held the 8th round of Corps Commander-level military talks on November 6 to resolve the border deadlock that had started in early May.

"The two sides will hold consultations over specific arrangements for further talks on the basis of acting on existing consensus reached through previous talks," Hua said.