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External affairs minister S Jaishankar explained on Tuesday that he meant only “disengagement” of troops in eastern Ladakh when he mentioned that 75 per cent progress on border dispute talks with China.
“When I said 75 per cent of it has been sorted out, it’s only of the disengagement. So, that’s one part of the problem,” S Jaishankar said.
Speaking at the Asia Society at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Jaishankar said China’s violation of previous border agreements and increased troop deployment during the Covid-19 pandemic led to increased tension along eastern Ladakh and ultimately resulted in clashes. The EAM explained that the clashes have overshadowed other areas in bilateral relationship with Beijing.
“We have a difficult history with China. Despite the explicit agreements we had with China, we saw in the middle of Covid that the Chinese moved a large number of forces in violation of these agreements to the line of actual control (LAC). It was likely a mishap would happen, and it did. So, there was a clash, and a number of troops died on either side. That, in a sense, overshadowed the relationship,” Jaishankar added.
The minister explained that dispute along major friction points has been ‘managed’, but said challenges persist on deciding patrolling rights along border areas. He also stressed on the need for “de-escalation” as crucial next step to improve other areas in New Delhi’s bilateral relationship.
“So, we’ve been able to sort out much of the disengagement in the friction points, but some of the patrolling issues need to be resolved…The next step will be de-escalation,” he added.
Taking a broader view of India’s relationship with China, he called it a “key to the future of Asia” but said New Delhi has to be prepared to face “volatility and unpredictability” in the international order.
India’s talks with China
India and China held the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in Beijing on August 29 to resolve the continuing border standoff along Eastern Ladakh.
The meeting agreed to intensify contact to narrow down their differences and find an early resolution to outstanding issues. India stressed that respecting positions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is essential to restore normalcy in bilateral relationship.
