On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed Lok Sabha on developments in India’s relations with China, stating that the continuous diplomatic engagement between the two countries is in the direction of some improvement. S Jaishankar said while speaking at the Lok Sabha, “I rise to apprise the House of some recent developments in the India-China border areas and their implications for our overall bilateral relations. The House is aware that our ties have been abnormal since 2020 when peace and tranquillity in the border areas were disturbed as a result of Chinese actions. Recent developments that reflect our continuous diplomatic engagement since then have set our ties in the direction of some improvement.”
He added, “The House is cognizant of the fact that China is in Illegal occupation of 38,000 km² of Indian territory in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflicts and the event that preceded it. Furthermore, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 km² of Indian territory to China in 1963, which has been under its occupation since 1948”. Jaishankar further added, “India and China have held talks for multiple decades to resolve the boundary issue. While there is a Line of Actual Control, it does not have a common understanding in some areas”.
The foreign minister further emphasised that India remains committed to engaging with China to “arrive at a fair, mutually acceptable framework for boundary settlement”. He added, “Members would recall that the amassing of a large number of troops by China along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020 resulted in face-offs with our forces at a number of points. The situation also led to the disruption of patrolling activities. It is to the credit of our armed forces that despite logistical challenges and the then prevailing Covid situation, they were able to counter-deploy rapidly and effectively,”.
These statements come almost two months following India and China announced a major border breakthrough to resume patrolling alongside LAC, ending the longstanding standoff after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Speaking on India’s next priority, Jaishankar said, “The situation arising after our counter deployment in 2020 called for multiple sets of responses. The immediate priority was to ensure disengagement from friction points so that there would be no further untoward incidents or clashes. This has been fully achieved”.
Jaishankar further said, “The next priority will be to consider de-escalation that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments. It is also evident that the management of border areas will require further attention in light of our recent experiences”.
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