Chinese gov't protests Indian drone 'intrusion,' crash

An Indian drone crossed over the nation's border with China and crashed into in the Sikkim sector, triggering Bejing to protest the intrusion.

China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang expressed dissatisfaction over the crash of the unmanned arial vehicle on Thursday, and said Chinese officials verified its identity.

"Since the China-India boundary in the Sikkim sector has been delimited, India has infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty, which has jeopardized peace and stability in the border regions," Geng said.

"China demands the Indian side stop the close-in operation of its aerial vehicles in the border area and work with China to maintain peace and stability."

Geng did not specify when the drone crashed, but said it had occurred "recently."

India said Thursday an unmanned aerial vehicle had "crossed over" the border after losing contact with ground controllers.

Geng added that the drone crash "violated China's sovereignty" and was not "conducive to the peace and tranquility of the border area."

Chinese military officials said the incident is under investigation.
 [upi.com]
 7/12/17
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