- Saturday, May 04, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Narendra Modi government on Wednesday (14) said in a statement that India and China have agreed that resolving the border row should be prioritised as “a prolongation of the existing situation is not in the interest of either side”. The statement came in the wake of a meeting between Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Dushanbe, the capital of the Central Asian country of Tajikistan.
The Indian government also said in the statement that “… it was visibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner.” The reference was the border over which the two nuclear-armed neighbours have been at loggerheads a number of times over the past many years.
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Jaishankar and Wang, who spoke at the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an eight-member bloc that features Pakistan, Russia and four Central Asian republics besides India and China. The grouping, which turns 20 this year, primarily focuses on security and defence areas.
Jaishankar and Wang talked over “outstanding issues” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the meeting that last for an hour. Both diplomats agreed on calling a meeting between senior military commanders from both India and China.
The external affairs minister, who had earlier strongly spoken at the SCO meeting against financing terror and on the situation in Afghanistan, later tweeted about his meeting with the Chinese foreign minister. “Concluded a one-hour bilateral meeting with State Councillor and FM Wang Yi of China on the sidelines of Dushanbe SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting. Discussions focused on the outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector,” he said.
Concluded a one-hour bilateral meeting with State Councilor and FM Wang Yi of China on the sidelines of Dushanbe SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting.
Discussions focused on the outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. pic.twitter.com/YWJWatUErI
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 14, 2021
Highlighted that unilateral change of status quo is not acceptable. Full restoration and maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas is essential for development of our ties.
Agreed on convening an early meeting of the Senior Military Commanders.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 14, 2021
“Highlighted that unilateral change of status quo is not acceptable. Full restoration and maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas is essential for development of our ties. Agreed on convening an early meeting of the Senior Military Commanders,” Jaishankar also said on the social media platform and posted a photo of him shaking hands with his Chinese counterpart. Both were in masks due to the pandemic and greeted each other with elbow bumps.
Jaishankar also recalled his last meeting with Wang in Moscow in September last year and emphasised the need to follow through on the agreement reached then and complete the disengagement and quickly resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region.
