In a clear message to Beijing, India said on Thursday that any expectation of normalization of its relations with China when the border situation in eastern Ladakh is not normal is unwarranted, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar citing the “forward deployment” of troops as the main problem.
Addressing a special press conference on the Modi government’s foreign policy over the past nine years, Jaishankar said India also wants to improve relations with China, but that can only be possible if there is peace and tranquility in the border areas.
He said China is the only leading country with which India’s relations have not improved in the last few years as it violated border agreements in 2020 and deployed large numbers of troops along the border.
Jaishankar said that India has made it very clear to China that until there is peace and tranquility in the border areas, relations between the two countries cannot develop.
India will not be swayed by coercion, inducements and false narratives, he said, citing examples of New Delhi’s approach to the situation along the northern border and its opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a more than three-year standoff at certain flashpoints in eastern Ladakh, even as both sides have withdrawn from several areas after extensive diplomatic and military negotiations.
Jaishankar said both sides would have to find ways to release troops and that the current impasse was not even in China’s interest.
“The fact is that the relationship is affected. And it will continue to affect the relationship. If there is any expectation that we will somehow normalize (ties), while the situation at the border is not normal, it is not a well-founded expectation,” he answered a barrage of questions.
Asked whether China had occupied Indian territory following the border row that erupted in May 2020, Jaishankar said the issue was “forward deployment of troops”.
Ties between the two countries have fallen significantly following a violent clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
“We want to improve relations with China. But it will be possible only when there is peace and tranquility in the border areas and if there is an agreement, it should be followed,” he said.
Jaishankar said both sides are in talks to resolve the dispute
“It’s not like communication has broken down. The thing is, with China, even before Galwan happened, we were talking to the Chinese and they were saying that we were seeing the movement of your forces, which we think is contrary to our understanding. The morning after it happened to Galwan, I actually spoke to my (Chinese) counterpart,” he said.
Since then, both sides have engaged in talks at the diplomatic and military levels.
“At the end of the day, disconnection is a very detailed process,” he said, adding that the details have to be worked out by people on the ground.
The External Affairs Minister said that India’s relations with all leading countries and key groupings are on the rise, except China.
When asked why, he replied: “Only China can give this answer. Because China, for some reason, has consciously decided in 2020 to violate agreements to move forces to border areas and try to force us.
“They were clearly told that until there is peace and tranquility in the border areas, our relationship cannot develop. So that is the obstacle that is holding it back,” he said.
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