External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has made a big statement regarding the border talks with China. The Foreign Minister said that about 75 percent of the problems with Beijing, especially related to the withdrawal of troops (disengagement), have been resolved, however, both countries still have some work to do. Jaishankar also explained how India and China have never had easy relations in the past.
The foreign minister said that “we have not had easy relations in the past. What happened in 2020 was a violation of many agreements, China sent a large number of troops to the Line of Actual Control. We, in response, sent our troops up. There has been some progress in border talks with China.”
During his talks with Ambassador Jean-David Levitte at the Geneva Center for Security Policy on Thursday, Jaishankar said that the issues related to the withdrawal of troops on the border issue in eastern Ladakh have been resolved by about 75 percent but the bigger issue is the increasing militarization on the border. He said that we still have some work to do.
Relations affected by the Galwan clash
He further said, “If there is a solution to the withdrawal of troops and peace and stability returns, then we can consider other possibilities. This is the most important issue.” Jaishankar said that the two countries have had difficult relations in the past. He also talked about 2020 when there was a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley. Jaishankar said that the clashes in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 have affected India-China relations, he stressed that after the violence on the border, it cannot be said that the rest of the relations are untouched by it.
He said economic relations with China have been “unfair and imbalanced”. “This (India-China relations) is a very complex relationship… they have had their bad times in history. Both are trying to get the relationship back on track and are doing a turnaround in a way. Both are the only countries with a population of more than a billion. Usually when a country grows, it impacts the neighbourhood. Both these countries also have the honour of being neighbours,” the foreign minister said.
The meeting was held in Beijing
Let us tell you that India and China held the 31st meeting of the WMCC in Beijing on 29 August and both sides decided to maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with the relevant bilateral agreements and protocols. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides exchanged “frank, constructive and visionary” views on the situation in the LAC and also agreed to increase contacts through diplomatic and military channels.
The foreign minister further said that apart from border issues, the two countries are also facing difficulties in other areas including technology, telecom and digital. He said, “I think there are big issues in India-China relations. We have been struggling for a long time on the issue of trade… Economic relations with China have been very unfair. It has been very unbalanced that we do not even have access to their market. They have much better market access in India. Today we have many concerns in various areas like technology, telecom and digital.”
Jaishankar arrived in Switzerland on September 12 after concluding his visit to Germany and Saudi Arabia. Earlier on Wednesday, Jaishankar met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and conveyed personal greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him.
Follow us On Social Media Google News and Twitter/X