As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in eastern Ladakh, firing on all cylinders, within hours, a nonplussed China scrambled to put out a tepid statement -- That neither side should make any move that may complicate the border situation.
‘‘China and India are in communication with each other through military and diplomatic channels. Neither side should make any move that may complicate the border situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.
In a belated realisation that Modi had called out China for its expansionist designs, which will strike a chord with many other countries like Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Delhi, Ji Rong, tweeted that it is "groundless" to view China as "expansionist", and claimed that China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries peacefully.
At the briefing, Zhao also said that Beijing will take necessary measures to uphold the legitimate rights of its businesses in India. He was referring to New Delhi's decision to bar Chinese firms from taking part in road projects and reports of delay in customs clearances of shipments of Chinese firms.
“The Indian side should not make a strategic miscalculation on China. We hope it will work with China to uphold the overall picture of our bilateral relations,” he added in a cryptic monotone.