The presence of large numbers of Chinese troops in the Ladakh sector of the Royal Line of Control (LAC) presents a critical security challenge for India and has disrupted the relationship built by the two sides for 30 years, the affairs minister said. Exterior S Jaishankar on Friday.
Participating in a discussion on the global challenges facing India alongside former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for the Asia Society, Jaishankar expressed surprise at the nearly six-month-long border standoff, especially due to efforts by India and China to improve their ties. through two informal summits. .
“Obviously it has had a very profound public impact and a very important political impact and has left the relationship deeply disturbed,” he said, referring to the large number of Chinese forces deployed at friction points in LAC and the “tragic” clash. in the Galwan Valley on June 15 that killed 20 Indian soldiers.
“I don’t have a reasonable explanation … from them [Chinese] on this matter, “he said, adding that the concentration of Chinese troops on the disputed border represented a” critical security challenge. ”
The informal summits between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in 2018 and in Mamallapuram in 2019 provided an opportunity for the two leaders to spend time and speak directly to each other “about their concerns” without any bureaucratic filters, Jaishankar said. .
At the second summit a year ago, many of the discussions focused on “the future, our prospects [and] issues between us “and” how we work our own relationship, “he added.
“What happened this year was a very abrupt change … in the course of a relationship of more than 30 years,” he said, noting that the two parties built “with care” their ties since the visit of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to Beijing in 1988 despite India’s concerns about trade issues and China’s relationship with Pakistan.
The basis for building this relationship “has been peace and tranquility throughout LAC” and multiple agreements created the framework for this by limiting military forces in border areas and setting the stage for border management, he said. The events of this year marked a “deviation from these agreements,” he added.
In response to a question from Rudd, Jaishankar made it clear that India’s approach to Pakistan depended on Islamabad stopping the use of terrorism as a policy.
“[India is] still grappling with perennial issues: Pakistan’s terrorism continues, and terrorism continues to be publicly recognized by its government as a policy they are justifying, ”he said. “It makes it very difficult to have normal relationships with them.”
Pakistan does not “do normal trade with India”, did not give the country Most Favored Nation (MFN) status and has blocked connectivity with Afghanistan, he said, adding: “Until we address that issue, this challenge of how to have a normal relationship with this unique neighbor is a very worrying issue for our foreign policy ”.
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