Indian Army Says It Maintains Contact With China Over Tensions Along Disputed Border

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - India and China continue to remain engaged through military and diplomatic channels to address the existing bilateral tensions at the disputed border, the Indian military said in a statement as the two sides began high-level talks to settle their disagreements.

"Indian and Chinese officials continue to remain engaged through the established military and diplomatic channels to address the current situation in the India-China border areas. At this stage, therefore, any speculative and unsubstantiated reporting about these engagements would not be helpful and the media is advised to refrain from such reporting," the statement said.

The talks started earlier on Saturday and are aimed at resolving the border stand-off in the Himalayas, which left dozens of soldiers on both sides injured in May.

Last month, Indian media reported that New Delhi and Beijing deployed additional troops to the border area in Ladakh, a region administered by India as a union territory, following violent face-offs that took place in early May.

Then, roughly 250 Indian and Chinese troops engaged in clashes on the northern bank of Pangong Lake in Ladakh, an area that has been under dispute between Pakistan, India and China for decades. Soldiers on both sides suffered injuries, and clashes have continued.

Since the two countries do not have a marked border but rather a so-called Line of Actual Control, which was created after the 1962 war between the nations, numerous border conflicts took place over the decades.