EAM Jaishankar articulates 3 key principles for engagement with China

India on Tuesday said it is committed to remaining engaged with China to find a fair and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary issue but the relations will be contingent upon strictly respecting the sanctity of the LAC and following pacts on border management with no attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo. 

 

In a statement in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the disengagement of troops has been achieved in "full" in eastern Ladakh through a step-by-step process, culminating in Depsang and Demchok, and India now expects the commencement of talks on remaining issues that it had placed on the agenda.

India was and it remained very clear that the three key principles must be observed in all circumstances, he said explaining: "one: both sides should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC), two: neither side should attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo, and three: agreements and understandings reached in the past must be fully abided by in their entirety".

Jaishankar's detailed statement came weeks after Indian and Chinese militaries completed the disengagement of troops from two last face-off points in eastern Ladakh, effectively ending the over four-year military face-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

"The next priority will be to consider de-escalation, that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments," he said.

"It is also evident that the management of the border areas will require further attention in the light of our recent experiences."  On India's expectation on the direction of its ties with China in the near future, he said maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas is a prerequisite.

"Our relationship had progressed in many domains, but was obviously negatively affected by recent events. We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas is a pre-requisite for the development of our ties," he said.

"In the coming days, we will be discussing both de-escalation as well as effective management of our activities in the border areas," he said.

Jaishankar said the conclusion of the disengagement phase now allows "us to consider other aspects of the bilateral engagement in a calibrated manner, keeping our national security interests first and foremost".

The external affairs minister also delved into the larger boundary question between the two countries including China's "illegal occupation" of 38,000 square km of Indian territory in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict and the events that preceded it.

"Furthermore, Pakistan illegally ceded 5180 sq km of Indian territory to China in 1963, which had been under its occupation since 1948."  "India and China have held talks for multiple decades to resolve the boundary issue. While there is a LAC, it does not have a common understanding in some areas," he said.

"We remain committed to engaging with China through bilateral discussions to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for a boundary settlement," he added.

Elaborating on the government's approach following the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020, he said it was not possible to continue the normal exchanges, interactions and activities as in the past.

"In this regard, we made clear that the development of our ties was contingent on the principles of mutual sensitivity, mutual respect and mutual interests," he said.

Throughout this period, he noted, the government maintained that India-China relations cannot be normal in the absence of peace and tranquility in the border areas.

"The combination of a firm and principled stance on the situation in the border areas as well as our clearly articulated approach to the totality of our ties have been the foundation of our engagement with China for the last four years," he said.

"We have been very clear that the restoration of peace and tranquility would be the basis for the rest of the relationship to move forward," he said.

Jaishankar also briefed the Lok Sabha on the October 21 agreement with China on Depsang and Demchok.

"The twin considerations of an unstable local situation and an impacted bilateral relationship were clearly the drivers for these recent endeavours," he said.

Jaishankar said these two areas have been the focus of both diplomatic and military talks between the two sides.

"The problem in these two areas pertained primarily to obstructions of our long-standing patrolling activity. In Demchok, there was also the question of access by our nomadic population to traditional grazing grounds, as well as to sites of significance to the local people," he said.

"As a result of this recent understanding arrived at after intensive negotiations, resumption of patrolling to the traditional areas is underway," he said.

"It was initially tested by sending out patrols for verification of disengagement on the ground and is being followed up by regular activities as per the agreed understanding," he added.

Jaishankar also referred to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 23.

"They welcomed the understanding and directed the foreign ministers to meet and stabilise and rebuild the relationship," he said.

The minister said the Special Representatives are also to oversee the management of peace and tranquility besides exploring a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.

Recalling the April-May period of 2020 when the face-offs began at a number of points in eastern Ladakh, Jaishankar said the situation 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," he said.