A strongly-worded statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry after a phone conversation between Wang and Jaishankar on Wednesday. He said the former told the Indian minister that New Delhi “should strictly control frontline troops”.

India should not misjudge or underestimate China’s will to safeguard its territory, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, demanding that New Delhi should immediately cease all “provocative” actions at the border and “thoroughly” investigate the clash between the border troops on Monday night.

A strongly-worded statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry – after a phone conversation between Wang and Jaishankar on Wednesday — said the former told the Indian minister that New Delhi “should strictly control frontline troops”.

The phone call took place two days after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in an unprecedented violent exchange with Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley region of eastern Ladakh.

Until now, China’s foreign ministry and the People’s Liberation Army have squarely blamed the Indian army for the violent face-off, which India has rejected as well. Moreover, Wang’s phone call clearly shows that China will continue to be aggressive.

“Again, China expresses its strong protest to the Indian side. We demand that the Indian side conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, severely punish those responsible, strictly control the frontline troops, and immediately cease all provocative actions to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” the statement released in Mandarin by the ministry said.

Wang, who is also a state councilor, which makes him one of the most senior officials in China, said Indian border troops “brazenly” broke the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

“When the situation on the ground in the Galwan Valley had already eased, they once again deliberately provoked and even violently attacked officers and soldiers of the Chinese side who were on their way to negotiate across the Line of Actual Control.”

‘Will seriously impact relations’: Jaishankar asks China to take corrective steps

A statement by the external affairs ministry following the conversation said that India had conveyed to China that the Galwan Valley development will have a “serious” impact on the bilateral relationship. It also added that the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take “corrective” steps.

“EAM underlined that this unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship. The need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps. The two sides should scrupulously and sincerely implement the understanding that was reached by the Senior Commanders on 6th June,” the official statement from the ministry of external affairs said.

“While there was some progress, the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LAC. While this became a source of dispute, the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties. It reflected an intent to change the facts on the ground in violation of all our agreements to not change the status quo,” the EAM statement said.