India’s Air Force carried out exercises around an airbase near the border with China on Saturday as troops from the two countries are locked in a stand-off.

The drills came the day after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Ladakh region, where 20 Indian soldiers were killed during clashes with Chinese troops last month.

India and China have traded blame for triggering the high-altitude brawl in the Galwan Valley on June 15 but China’s foreign ministry said on Friday the two countries were holding talks to reduce tensions.

The most serious crisis on the India-China border in years has erupted while Beijing is embroiled in disputes over the South China Sea, Taiwan and its tightening grip over Hong Kong, which have all fanned fears of an expansionist policy.

(Source: Reuters)