Senior officials of the defence ministry on Friday held a review meeting on reports of repeated airspace violations by China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, government sources said.

“Senior officers held a review meeting over the recent airspace violations by Chinese fighter jets as they came very close to the LAC while taking part in their annual exercises. It is a serious matter and it has already been conveyed to China so that the violation is not repeated,” said a ministry official.

According to the existing agreement between India and China, he said, both sides should not fly their fighter jets, armed helicopters or any other such aircraft within 10km of the LAC.

Last week India had flagged the airspace violations by China during a special meeting between the two armies. Officers of the Indian Air Force and their Chinese counterparts also attended the hurriedly called meeting. India is learnt to have strongly raised objections to Chinese fighter planes flying close to the undemarcated border.

“Such violations by the Chinese army is nothing but provocative and this has already been conveyed to them. They were told to avoid such action in future,” another official said.

An Indian Army official said China had been violating Indian airspace over the past one month.

“Considering the repeated violations, we are also on high alert. We take necessary measures by scrambling our fighter jets whenever there is an airspace violation by them,” he said.

The Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in a standoff at multiple points in Ladakh since May 2020, with the Chinese estimated to have taken over close to 1,000sqkm of India-claimed territory.

During the 16th round of military talks last month, India had pressed for Chinese disengagement from Hot Springs and the strategic Depsang Plains where the People’s Liberation Army is said to be entrenched 18km inside India-claimed lines. The Chinese did not relent.