The External Affairs Minister made these remarks during the Town Hall hosted by CNN-News18.
External Affairs Minister made this remark during the Town Hall organized by whom? CNN-News18,
India will not allow any unilateral efforts by China to change Change in status quo or Line of Actual Control (LAC), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, adding that through a massive military effort, the country had countered the Chinese at the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
Talking about the eastern Ladakh border line, Jaishankar said that China decided not to mass troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in violation of the 1993 and 1996 agreements, adding that its effort was clear. It was a one-sided change. LAC.
“Even though we were in the midst of COVID-19 at the time, through a huge logistical effort that I think is sometimes undermined by people, by analysts, even in our politics in this country Not recognized enough, we were really able to. Combat them on the LAC,” Mr Aishankar held at a town hall CNN-News18,
Elaborating on the controversy, he said that some people have a simple idea about the border and one is usually not stationed at the patrolling point and the troops are in the deep areas.
“What has happened as a result is because they (China) had forward deployments that were new and we had counter deployments, we also had forward deployments. You ended up with a very complicated mix.. . Which was very dangerous. Because they were so close, the rules of engagement were not being followed and then, what we caught in Galwan two years ago, it turned violent and there were casualties,” Jaishankar said.
“Since then, we’ve had a situation where we interact at friction points. When you say you got results, many of those friction points have been resolved,” he said.
“There are areas where they pulled back, we pulled back. Remember, we’re both way ahead of our position before April. Has it all been done? No. Have we made enough solutions? Indeed, Yes,” said Jaishankar.
“It is hard work. It is very patient work, but we are very clear on one point, that is, we will not allow any unilateral attempt by China to change the status quo or change the LAC,” he said.
Jaishankar said, “I don’t care how long it takes, how many rounds we go through, how hard we have to negotiate – it’s something we are very clear about.”
He also said that talks with China are not over yet.
‘Relation should be based on mutual respect’
In the Delhi Dialogue on Thursday, Mr. Jaishankar had stressed that the development of India-China relations should be based on mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutuality of interests. He had also said that the status of the border will reflect on the status of India-China relations.
The remarks come amid the standoff between India and China, which began in early May 2020. As a result of military talks, the two sides last year completed the demilitarization process on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.
India has consistently maintained that peace and tranquility along the LAC is vital for the overall development of bilateral relations.
In his remarks at the town hall, Mr. Jaishankar also said that India’s history with the United States is disturbing.
“A lot of our problems with Pakistan are directly due to the support that the United States has given to Pakistan,” he said.
But today, there is a US that is capable of taking a long view, which is actually capable of saying that “India has a different history with Russia and we have to keep that in mind”, the foreign minister said.
“One of the reasons the Quad works is because the four of us have given each other a degree of latitude and understanding,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
India’s history with Russia is different from subsequent history with the US, Japan or Australia, and not everyone in the Quad has an equal position on everything, he said.
“If that were the case, we would expect everyone to take the same stance on Pakistan as we do,” Mr. Aishankar said.