Xi Jinping has said that China Xi Jinping said that his country has not occupied a single inch of foreign land.

San Francisco: Amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a United States visit, stated on Thursday that his country has “not provoked a conflict or war, or occupied a single inch of foreign land.” He emphasized, “Throughout the 70 years and more since the founding of the People’s Republic, China has not provoked a conflict or war, or occupied a single inch of foreign land.” Xi made these remarks during dinner on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, hours after his highly anticipated talks with US President Joe Biden, where both leaders pledged to reduce tensions between the two countries.

The event was organised by the US-China Business Council and National Committee on US-China Relations and Xi’s remarks over the border dispute was closely watched, given worries about China’s tighter business oversight and bilateral tensions.

During the crucial meeting, United States President Joe Biden raised concerns over China’s human rights abuses, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.

“President Biden underscored the universality of human rights and the responsibility of all nations to respect their international human rights commitments. He raised concerns regarding PRC human rights abuses, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong,” according to the White House readout.

Significantly, in 2020, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a conflict at Galwan, coinciding with the onset of the pandemic. Since May 2020, when Chinese troops attempted to forcefully alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, both sides have maintained positions near Patrolling Point 15. This location became a focal point of tension following the Galwan clash.

Since 2020, more than 50,000 Indian soldiers have been deployed at forward posts along the LAC, equipped with advanced weapons to deter any unilateral attempts to change the status quo on the LAC.

(With Agency Inputs)