New Delhi: Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s speech in Ladakh on Friday (June 3), wherein he stated that the "age of expansionism is over", China said that it is "groundless" to view the country as "expansionist".
In a tweet, Chinese Embassy spokesperson in India said, "China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. It`s groundless to view China as "expansionist", exaggerate & fabricate its disputes with neighbours."
#China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighboring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. It's groundless to view China as "expansionist", exaggerate & fabricate its disputes with neighbours.
— Ji Rong (@ChinaSpox_India) July 3, 2020
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the age of expansionism is over and added that the new age of development is here, while addressing the soldiers in Nimu, Leh.
PM Modi said, "From Leh, Ladakh to Siachen and Kargil...and Galwan`s icy waters...every mountain, every peak is witness to the valour of Indian soldiers. Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back."
In an apparent reference to the military clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops, PM Modi said, "Bharat Mata's enemies have seen your fire and fury," asserting that bravery is a prerequisite for peace and that the weak can never accomplish it.
"We are the same people who pray to the flute-playing Lord Krishna, but we are also those who idolise and pray to the same Lord Krishna who carries the 'Sudarshana Chakra', he said amid chants of 'Vande Mataram'.
The Prime Minister's visit to Ladakh is seen as a strong message against China's aggressive posturing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region.
