Nepal said on Saturday that the ongoing boundary disputes between China and India must be resolved through peaceful means.

"Nepal maintains that disputes between the countries should be resolved through peaceful means," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Tensions between the two nuclear-armed Asian neighbours have reached new heights since a violent clash on Monday between the Indian and Chinese armies in the disputed Galwan Valley which resulted in the death of at least 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number on the Chinese side.

“Nepal has always stood firmly for regional and world peace,” reads the statement. “In the context of recent developments in the Galwan valley area between our friendly neighbors India and China, Nepal is confident that both the neighboring countries will resolve, in the spirit of good neighborliness, their mutual differences through peaceful means in favor of bilateral, regional and world peace and stability.”

This is the first official statement from Nepal on the ongoing dispute. Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali had told the Post earlier this week that the government was closely observing developments. Nepal is not just lodged between the two conflicting countries but also has over 30,000 citizens serving in the Indian Army.