India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar clarified his statement regarding the resolution of the India-China border dispute. He stated that when he mentioned that 75% of the issues had been resolved, he was referring only to the disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh. Jaishankar emphasized that India has had a “difficult history” with China, and in 2020, despite existing agreements, China moved a large number of troops to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the Covid pandemic, violating the agreements.
Speaking at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, Jaishankar said, “We have a difficult history with China. Despite having explicit agreements with China, during Covid, China moved a significant number of forces to the LAC, violating those agreements. A clash occurred, leading to casualties on both sides. This incident significantly overshadowed the relationship.”
Jaishankar further clarified that when he mentioned that 75% of the issues had been resolved, he was only referring to the disengagement. He explained, “When I said 75% of the border issues were resolved, it was in the context of disengagement. We have managed to sort out much of the friction points, but some patrolling issues remain unresolved. The next step will be de-escalation.”
Earlier this month, Jaishankar had stated that India had made progress in its border negotiations with China, and about 75% of the disengagement issues had been sorted out.
Relations between India and China hit an all-time low after the bloody standoff in the Galwan Valley, Ladakh, in May 2020. The disengagement process began in February 2021, and since then, multiple rounds of talks have been held to resolve the border dispute.
Jaishankar stressed that the India-China relationship is critical to making Asia and the world multipolar. “The India-China relationship is key to the future of Asia. If the world is to be multipolar, Asia must be multipolar. Therefore, this relationship will influence not only Asia’s future but perhaps the future of the world as well,” he said.
He further added, “We have long pursued the ‘Act East Policy’ with ASEAN at its center. Over the last decade, this policy has evolved into something beyond ASEAN, leading to the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic concept.”
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