Ladakh situation "very serious," need deep political talks: S Jaishankar
What's the story
Ahead of his trip to Moscow, where he is scheduled to meet the Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar called the situation in Ladakh "very serious," adding that a "deep political conversation" was needed. Speaking to Indian Express, Jaishankar underlined that "the state of the border cannot be delinked from the state of the relationship."
Statement
Peace at border extremely essential for Indo-China ties, stressed Jaishankar
Jaishankar explained that peace at the border formed the basis for the Indo-China relationship. "If peace and tranquility on the border are not a given, then it cannot be that the rest of the relationship continues on the same basis," he added. Since there were no differences at the border for the last 30 years, Indo-China ties progressed well, Jaishankar went on.
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Trade between India and China bloomed due to border peace
"If you look at the last 30 years, because there were peace and tranquillity on the border — there were problems also...I am not disregarding that — that allowed the rest of the relationship to progress. As a result, China became (India's) second-largest trading partner," Jaishankar said.
Agreements
As per Indo-China agreements, border can't be inundated with troops
The minister reminded that agreements between India and China about border behavior date back to 1993. The rules clearly specify that both countries should keep minimum troops at the border. "If these are not observed, then it raises very, very important questions. At this moment, I note that this very serious situation has been going on since the beginning of May," he told IE.
Statement
Jaishankar refused to comment on the future of Indo-China ties
When quizzed about the future of Indo-China ties, Jaishankar quipped, "This is one area my crystal ball is a little clouded." However, he underlined that both countries must find mutual accommodation because it will determine whether there's an "Asian century or not." When asked about what he planned to tell Wang, he responded, "Exactly what I will tell him, obviously I am not going to tell you."
Looking back
Jaishankar spoke to Wang after the Galwan clash as well
Jaishankar, who has served as India's ambassador to China, and hence, understands the relationship extensively, had earlier spoken to Wang in June, days after the bloody Galwan episode. In the violent clash at Eastern Ladakh in mid-June, India lost 20 soldiers, including the Commanding Officer of Bihar regiment. New Delhi maintained that the incident was triggered due to the People's Liberation Army's misbehavior.
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Jaishankar has told his Chinese counterpart that PLA violated agreements
To recall, Jaishankar had told Wang, "What happened in Galwan was premeditated and planned action by China which was responsible for the sequence of events. It reflected an intent to change the facts on the ground in violation of our agreements to not change the status quo."
Plan
At upcoming meet, Jaishankar will put forward India's demands
As per reports, Jaishankar has already left for Russia. He will speak to Wang on September 10 at the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet. He is expected to remind his Chinese counterpart about the bilateral agreements while urging him to honor them. Jaishankar will also ask for the restoration of status quo ante at Gogra-Hot Springs and Finger 4, reports HT.
Details
Earlier, a key meeting between Defense Ministers didn't yield results
Notably, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had also spoken with his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe at the same platform last week, but the talks didn't yield substantial results. China has repeatedly claimed it is open for dialogue, but its frontline troops have shown complete disregard for the diplomatic statements. PLA troops had attempted to alter the status quo last month as well, but failed.