India, China ties significantly damaged this year: Jaishankar

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar has said ties with Beijing have "significantly damaged" this year in the backdrop of the Galwan incident and the ongoing buildup which has "completely changed national sentiment".

India lost 20 of its soldiers die to aggressive action by Chinese forces at Galwan Valley in June this year.

Speaking at a virtual event Jaishankar said, "we are today probably at the most difficult phase of our relationship with China. Certainly in the last 30-40 years. The last time there were military casualties on our borders was in 1975."

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The Chinese forces had started build-up in April-march period and still continueto remain at the Line of Actual Control(LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The EAM pointed out that direction of ties were "positive" since 1988, because while border issues were being discussed "you never had a major breach of this understanding" which included "not to bring large force".

"China has given India fivedifferent explanation on the current situation but a number of agreement are being violated by the country including bringing tens of thousands of soldiers in full military preparation mode right to the LAC in Ladakh" and"naturally the relationship will be profoundly disturbed by this", he said.

The big challenge he said is, "How do we get the relationship back is a very big issue, we are very clear maintaining peace and tranquillity at LAC is the basis of the rest of the relationship to progress."

A number of diplomatic and military talks have taken place between the two countries to defuse the situation.

EAM Jaishankar anddefence minister Rajnath Singh both had met there respective counterparts in September in Moscow but the stand-off continues at the Line of Actual Control(LAC).