UN chief hopes tensions along India-China border could be dialled down through dialogue

UNITED NATIONS: Amid a recent clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the border in Sikkim, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hopes that tensions that exist between the two countries along the border could be dialled down through dialogue, a spokesperson for the UN chief has said.

Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a clash in the high-altitude Naku La region in North Sikkim on January 20, an incident described by the Indian Army on Monday as a "minor face-off".

In a statement, the Indian Army said the face-off was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols.

"Only to say that we hope that, through dialogue, the tensions that may exist along the border could be dialled down," Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing on Monday.

Dujarric was responding to a question on whether the UN Secretariat or the Secretary General has any comment on the "renewed India-China border clashes".