BEIJING (REUTERS) - China and India on Tuesday (Sept 8) accused each other of firing warning shots in the air during a stand-off along their disputed border.

China accused Indian troops of violating a bilateral agreement and firing warning shots in the air during a confrontation with Chinese personnel on Monday, amid renewed tensions between the two countries.

Chinese border guards took "countermeasures" to stabilise the situation, Mr Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the military's western command theatre, said in a statement published by the military's official news website early on Tuesday (Sept 8).

The statement did not make clear what those measures were or whether Chinese troops also fired warning shots.

China's foreign ministry said later on Tuesday that Indian troops illegally crossed a line of control on their shared border and were first to fire warning shots in a serious military provocation.

China urged India to discipline its frontline troops, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mr Zhao Lijian said at a news conference in Beijing.

India rejected the Chinese allegations .

"It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress," the Indian army said in a statement.

It said Chinese soldiers tried to close in on a forward Indian position in the Ladakh sector in the western Himalayas and when they were met by Indian troops, the PLA fired a few rounds in the air.

Both sides have observed a long-held protocol to avoid using firearms on the sensitive, high altitude frontier running through the western Himalayas, though this agreement has not prevented casualties.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand fighting in a clash in June, an incident that led to China and India deploying additional forces along the frontier.

"We request the Indian side to immediately stop dangerous actions...and strictly investigate and punish personnel who fired shots to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again," Mr Zhang said in the statement.

The Indian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of business hours.