Attaining a state of normalcy in our bilateral relations with China can only be achieved by adhering to traditional troop deployments, as emphasised by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar. This, he asserted, would serve as a prerequisite for fostering a constructive relationship with Beijing moving forward.
"My first duty to Indians is to secure the border. I can never compromise on that," remarked the EAM in response to inquiries regarding the current state of India's relations with China, during his engagement with the Indian diaspora in Kuala Lumpur. He further noted, "Every country wants "good relations with its neighbours. Who doesn't? But every relationship has to be founded on some basis".
"We're still negotiating with the Chinese. I talk to my counterpart. We meet from time to time. Our military commanders negotiate with each other. But we are very clear that we had an agreement. There is a Line of Actual Control. We have a tradition of not bringing troops to that line. Both of us have bases some distance away, which is our traditional deployment place. And we want that normalcy," he said.
"So that normalcy that returns to where we are in terms of the troop deployment will be the basis for the relationship going forward. And we've been very, very honest with the Chinese about it," Jaishankar said.
He acknowledged the complexity of the India-China relationship, citing factors such as the ongoing boundary dispute.
"But despite the boundary dispute over the many years, we actually built up a substantial relationship because we agreed that while we will negotiate the boundary dispute, both of us will agree that we will not bring soldiers in large numbers to the boundary. And we will never have a situation where there'll be violence and bloodshed on the contrary," he added.
Commenting further, the EAM said, "So this understanding which started in the late 1980s, actually was reflected in several agreements. And those agreements gave the relationship stability based on which in other areas, the relationship went forward". "Now, unfortunately, for reasons which are still not clear to us, these agreements were broken in 2020. And we actually had violence and bloodshed on the border".
The ties between the two nations have seen a significant downturn following the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, marking the most severe military confrontation between the two countries in over 40 years.
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