China and India sought on Wednesday to calm down to defuse the crisis after an armed clash in the disputed Himalayan region between them, after contact between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry described the general situation with India as stable, after it called earlier to its neighbor to stop provocative activities at the border.

According to a Beijing statement, the foreign ministers of the two countries spoke and agreed to "reduce tension on the ground and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas."

In its statement, commenting on the call, the Indian government condemned "a planned and premeditated action" by China, and made it clear that the two foreign ministers agreed to "not take any step that could fuel tension" in the Ladakh region.

Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed that the killing of Indian soldiers during clashes with Chinese soldiers would not go unanswered.

Indian soldiers on the border with China (Anatolia)

Violent clash

On Monday evening, a violent clash of hands, stones and iron bars occurred between the soldiers of the two Asian countries in a plain located at an altitude of 4200 meters from Ladakh area (north India) and killed at least 20 Indian soldiers.

New Delhi and Beijing accuse each other of responsibility for fabricating the first violent confrontation in 45 years between the two most crowded countries in the world. The two countries affirm their desire for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

For weeks, several confrontations took place between the two armies along their disputed borders, especially in Ladakh and they sent reinforcements.

10 days ago, they agreed to reduce tension in some of the disputed areas.

Moody: India wants peace but is able to respond appropriately when exposed to provocation (French)

Deploying soldiers

Today, Wednesday, India deployed hundreds of military personnel in the area where the clash occurred, and Prime Minister Modi assured that the killing of Indian soldiers "will not be in vain."

He added in his first statement after the accident that "India wants peace, but it is able to respond appropriately when it is provoked."

It is noteworthy that India has spoken of victims "on both sides", but China has remained silent about the possibility of casualties among its forces.

The last violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers dates back to 1975, when four Indian soldiers were killed in Anurachal Pradesh. Since then, no bullets have been fired over the Indo-Chinese border.

The two countries fought a lightning war in 1962, in which China seized land from India. This was followed by clashes that killed the people in 1967.