China brought enormous force to border without provocation: S Jaishankar

China brought enormous force to the border, apparently referring to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), without provocation, said Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on Monday.

Speaking at the All India Management Association National Leadership Conclave, the external affairs minister pointed that for the last 40 years, India and China have had peace and tranquillity on the border though not "suggesting that we solved the boundary dispute".

"For last 40 years, we have had peace and tranquillity on the border. I'm not suggesting that we solved the boundary dispute... But the rest of our relationship got built on an assumption that neither would use force or threaten another. We had different agreements that translated those good intentions into commitments," he said at the conclave.

"Last year, that changed. The Chinese, without provocation, brought an enormous force to the border. This not rocket science; you cannot disrupt peace & tranquillity at the border and carry on with the rest of the relationship. I have been saying it for the last year and it has not changed," he said.

The minister reiterated India's call for peace and stability at the border in order for ties to normalise. If this relationship is to progress, Jaishankar said, "I must have a return to peace and tranquillity on border and there are no two ways about it"

India has stood firm on the northern border against China and has proved that it will not get pushed, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue here, General Rawat said India stood firm in preventing a change of status quo on Line of Actual Control (LAC) and has gathered international support.

Indian security agencies are keeping a close watch on the Chinese surface to air missile batteries which continue to remain deployed close to the Line of Actual Control near eastern Ladakh.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army has continued the deployment of surface to air missiles including the HQ- and HQ 22 close to the Indian territory in view of the ongoing tensions, government sources told ANI last week.

The two countries have been engaged in a military standoff for almost a year but disengaged from the most contentious Pangong lake area last month after extensive talks at both military and political levels.