Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister.
Canberra (Australia): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said that although Indian and Chinese troops have withdrawn from eastern Ladakh, peace is still expected on the border. He said the withdrawal agreement would be implemented to “everyone’s satisfaction” in the coming days. Jaishankar made the comments while interacting with Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), at the inaugural session of a ‘think tank’ here.
Jaishankar was asked a question regarding India-China relations in the coming days. India announced on October 21 that it had reached an agreement with China to patrol along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, ending the four-year military standoff between the two armies. Jaishankar said in Canberra on Tuesday: “Currently, tension is expected, which is due to the mobilization of security forces along the LAC. The Foreign Minister said that before 2020, the amount of deployment along the LAC of both countries”. Today there is a greater military deployment than that, “so the only path before us is dialogue.”
Tension had increased between India and China since June 2020
Relations between the two countries had deteriorated significantly after the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. Jaishankar said the priority has been to find ways to withdraw troops. He said the emphasis has been on restoring normality to the extent possible and reestablishing patrols as before 2020. He expressed hope that patrols will begin soon. He said the chapter on withdrawal has been completed and its implementation will be “to everyone’s satisfaction in the coming days.”
The External Affairs Minister stated that during this period (post-2020), India-China relations were also “deeply affected” as India believes that peace and stability in the border areas is a prerequisite for the development of bilateral relations. He also drew attention to the agreement reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in their first bilateral meeting in five years that the External Affairs Minister and the National Security Advisor will meet their counterparts and explore ways to normalize relationships. (Language)
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