The series of cultural events planned by India and China to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries is unlikely to take place because of the ongoing military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Though the official reason of putting the events on hold being cited is travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said the events are unlikely to be held in the coming months primarily because of the LAC standoff between the two countries that started in May.
The events to be held in 2020-21 in both the countries were agreed upon during the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Chennai in October 2019.
“The events have been automatically put on hold because of COVID-19. There is no official cancellation yet,” Dinesh K Patnaik, Director General of the Indian Council of Cultural Research (ICCR), the nodal agency of the Union Culture Ministry, told MoneyControl.
No activity in the list of 70 has been held so far in either of the country.
In April, the Chinese foreign ministry said some of the events would be hit because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that was before the border standoff that began in May, straining the diplomatic ties between the two nations. The standoff took a turn for worse in June when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley after being attacked by Chinese troops.
Last week, China cancelled the joint launch of a commemorative stamp with India, one of the 70 events, saying “the Indian side had not given feedback before launch time agreed by the both sides”.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on December 11 that the claim was "factually incorrect".
Sources said though COVID-19 had delayed the beginning of the events in March-April, it is “to a large extent” due to the Indo-China faceoff that the government, for now, is thinking of not holding them any time soon.
“There is very less chance that the events will be held even when COVID-19 is over, unless the relations between the countries improve,” an official said.
The activities included parliamentary exchanges, joint performance by military bands and school exchange programmes. The two sides had to jointly flag-off the first batch of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, while the Chinese side had to invite Indian celebrities to attend a Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar Forum, among other events.
India established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China on April 1, 1950 to become the first non-communist nation in Asia to do so.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
