- Saturday, April 27, 2024
Jaishankar, who is in Singapore on a three-day visit, emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh was a ‘natural part of India’.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’S external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday (23) rejected China’s repeated claims on its north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh as “ludicrous” and asserted that the border state was a “natural part of India”.
In what was probably his first public remark on Beijing’s frequent claims on Arunachal Pradesh and its objection to Indian leaders visiting the state, the Indian diplomat said it was not something new. He said this while speaking at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the National University of Singapore in the city-state of Singapore.
“This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today,” he said in response to a question on the Arunachal issue after delivering his speech.
Read: China reacts after US calls Arunachal India’s territory: ‘Strongly opposes this’
Jaishankar, who is in Singapore on a three-day visit, emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh was a “natural part of India”.
“So, I think we’ve been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he said.
Read: India slams China for protesting Modi visit to Arunachal: ‘Doesn’t stand to reason’
Responding to another question, Jaishankar said the challenge for India today is how to find the sustainable equilibrium between two rising powers, who also happen to be neighbours, and who have a history and a population, which sets them apart from the rest of the world and who also have capabilities.
“So this is a very, very complex challenge,” he said.
Jaishankar said it came as a “great surprise” to India when the Chinese in 2020 “chose to do something on the border, which was completely violative of agreements we had reached”.
The minister was referring to the Eastern Ladakh border standoff, which erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash between troops of the two nations in the Pangong Lake area.
The Eastern Ladakh standoff has resulted in a virtual freeze of bilateral ties on all fronts except trade. India has been pressing Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army to disengage from the Depsang Plains and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.
“Instead of actually solidifying the foundation for an equilibrium, they (the Chinese side) went and disturbed the condition,” he said.
Jaishankar said the boundary solution can take its time. “We don’t argue with that. It’s a very complex issue. We’re not talking about solving the boundary dispute. We are talking about maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border,” he said.
The Indian minister said there is no issue of miscommunication or misunderstanding between India and China. Both countries have signed written agreements on the border issue.
“It’s been working till 2020. So why don’t we sit down and sort out and figure out how we continue that peace and tranquillity which we maintained for so long.” Jaishankar’s comments on India’s stand on the status of Arunachal Pradesh came days after the Indian ministry of external affairs dismissed the Chinese defence ministry’s assertions. “We have noted the comments made by the spokesperson of the Chinese defence ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chinese foreign ministry had objected to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh which the Indian side rejected.
(With PTI inputs)
