India-China dispute: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized the importance of securing the borders in the India-China border dispute during his discussion with the youth of Pune regarding India’s increasing global presence and enhanced opportunities.
He was in Pune for the book’s Why Bharat Matters book launch in Marathi. “Delighted to launch the Marathi translation of my book: #WhyBharatMatters in Pune today. The last decade has seen a profound transformation in our society as much as our diplomacy. Confident that during Modi 3.0, this will serve as the foundation for the journey towards Viksit Bharat,” Jaishankar wrote on X.
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He went on to say that China had broken the previous agreement, which said that no weaponry should be placed along the border, during COVID-19.
“We want the border to be stable and there should be no tension there…According to the earlier agreement, no major weapons were deployed on the border but during the time of Covid, they violated it… We increased our forces and till the borders are secured the forces are there and will remain there” declared Jiashanker on the matter.
He stated that China will be India’s rival, and there’s a risk that the countries that surround New Delhi might adopt the same philosophy.
Jaishankar said, “We will have to compete with China, there’s no doubt about that. Our neighbours may back our opposing ideology….” We are unique because we both are old civilizations.”
“There was a time when we would economically dominate the world, and then Western powers came, and we went through 200 years of difficulty. But, today China has become the number 2 economy and we are in the fifth, in the coming 2 or 3 years, we will be at the top 3 and that is the reality…but China, is also a neighbour, and with any neighbour; border settlement is a challenge,” He pointed out.
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The EAM sketched the background of the Aksai Chin boundary dispute by citing a 1950 letter from Sardar Patel to Jawahar Lal Nehru regarding China’s occupation of Tibet.
“In 1950, when China occupied Tibet, Sardar Patel wrote a letter to Nehru and said that we are not paying attention to it, Nehru wrote in reply that you are doubting a lot, they are also Asian people, they do not have any such intentions. China cannot come by crossing the Himalayas…so here I tell you…Sardar was a practical person, whereas Pandit Nehru was an ideological and leftist man…So I am starting here with history. Because, with China, we should have been realistic, grounded and practical policies.” Jaishankar said, providing a stark sketch of how it happened.
“We are, today in a situation where India has a two-front problem. And, therefore, we should make preparations for this,” he said.
India and China discussed measures to achieve total disengagement and resolve the concerns along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western sector of India-China border areas in March amid border tensions.
This comes as the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held its 29th meeting on Wednesday in Beijing, the capital of China.
In January of this year, India reiterated its long-standing stance against China while also stating that the two nations are still in contact militarily and diplomatically in an attempt to find a solution.
“India’s position on China is very well known. It is a relationship, which is not normal, but we have had dialogues both on the military side and on the diplomatic side in October and November.” Randhir Jaiswal, an official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated during the weekly media briefing that “the idea is that we engage so that we can have some sort of resolution.”
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The two countries have been in a military standoff for three years now, ever since the Chinese tried to make big changes to the situation on the Line of Actual Control in May 2020.
The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) met for the 29th time last month. It was a meeting between China and India. The two countries talked about ways to end all military activities and settle disagreements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western part of the border between China and India.
