China's defence ministry on Friday said the situation at the border is “generally stable” amid border row with India. The two sides should take a long-term view, China's Defence Minister General Li Shangfu told his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

A day after India gave a strong response to China saying that the violation of the border pacts has "eroded" the entire basis of bilateral ties, China's defence ministry on Friday said the situation at the border is “generally stable”. Both sides should put the boundary issue in an “appropriate position” and promote its transition to “normalised management”, China's defence ministry said.

China's defence minister told his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh that "it is hoped that the two sides will work together to continuously enhance mutual trust between the two militaries".

The statement of the Chinese defence minister, General Li Shangfu, came a day after he held a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, where the latter reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border would logically be followed with de-escalation.

A Chinese Defence Ministry statement issued on Friday said that during the meeting the two sides exchanged views on militaries and bilateral relations, PTI reported.

On Thursday, General Li Shangfu held a 45-minute long meeting with Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers' meeting. This is Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu's first visit to Delhi since the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

TWO SIDES SHOULD TAKE LONG-TERM VIEW

General Li Shangfu pointed out that “currently, the situation on the China-India border is generally stable and the two sides have maintained communication through military and diplomatic channels”.

“The two sides should take a long-term view, place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, and promote the transition of the border situation to normalised management,” he was quoted as saying by the PTI.

“It is hoped that the two sides will work together to continuously enhance mutual trust between the two militaries and make proper contributions to the development of bilateral relations,” Li told his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

WHAT DID INDIA SAY AFTER THE MEETING?

Meanwhile, India, in reference to a 3-year-old standoff along with their disputed border in Ladakh, said China had eroded the “entire basis” of ties between the countries by flouting bilateral agreements.

A communique released after the meeting read: "The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders".

"He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation," the statement added.

Last week, India and China held the 18th round of Corps Commander-level talks at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in eastern Ladakh. The two sides discussed confidence-building measures and ways to avoid confrontation at the borders in the coming months.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans regional international organisations. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.