Updated: September 30, 2020 7:28:24 am
New Delhi reacted sharply, saying that it “has never accepted the so-called Royal Line of Control defined unilaterally in 1959”, and that it is “unsustainable”.
Pushing forward its old line of claims in Ladakh and hardening its position on the situation there, Beijing said on Tuesday that it does not recognize the Union Territory of Ladakh and opposes the construction of Indian infrastructure there.
New Delhi reacted sharply, saying that it “has never accepted the so-called Royal Line of Control defined unilaterally in 1959”, and that it is “unsustainable”.
This exchange between the two parties comes a week after their military commanders met at the Moldo border crossing in front of Chushul following the Moscow agreement between the Foreign Ministers to reduce tensions throughout LAC.
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In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, responding to a question about the construction of roads in India along the border, said that China “does not recognize the so-called Union Territory of Ladakh.” by India and “opposes the construction of infrastructure in the disputed border areas.” for military control purposes ”.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on China’s position on LAC.
“According to the recent consensus reached between China and India, neither side should take measures in the border areas that would complicate the situation, so as not to affect the efforts of both sides to alleviate the situation,” Wang said, according to the state of China. -Run the Global Times tabloid.
The spokesman’s statement that Beijing “does not recognize the Union Territory of Ladakh” is an escalation in his rhetoric, compared to his comment last year following the repeal of Article 370 and the decision to fork the state of Jammu and Kashmir. in Union Territories. of J&K and Ladakh.
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At the time, China had opposed the formation of Ladakh as a Union Territory, saying this “undermined its territorial sovereignty.” Beijing had also expressed “serious concern” about the current situation in the region, saying that “the relevant parties should exercise restraint and act prudently.”
But Beijing’s comments now go against the spirit of the conversation between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on September 10. Meeting in Moscow, the two sides took a five-point approach to resolving the crisis, agreeing that their troops “must continue their dialogue, disconnect quickly, keep the proper distance and ease tensions.”
China’s tightening of position was also reflected in a statement to The Hindustan Times in Beijing, in which it said it complies with LAC as proposed by Prime Minister Zhou Enlai to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in a letter dated November 7, 1959.
In the statement in Mandarin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: “First of all, the border between China and India in LAC is very clear, that is LAC on November 7, 1959. China announced it in the 1950s. , and the international community, including India, is also clear. about it “.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on China’s position on LAC.
A convoy of Indian army vehicles near Khuru Leh is heading towards Easter Ladakh, where India and China are locked in a clash along the Royal Line of Control. Photo of WANGAILKAYA
“India has never accepted the unilaterally defined 1959 so-called Royal Line of Control (LAC). This position has been consistent and well known, including by China, “said MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava.
In addition, it said, under its various bilateral agreements, including the 1993 Agreement for the maintenance of peace and tranquility throughout LAC, the 1996 Agreement on confidence-building measures (CBM) in the military field , the 2005 Protocol on the implementation of CBM, the 2005 Agreement on political parameters. and the Guiding Principles for the solution of the Boundary Question between India and China, “both India and China have committed to clarify and confirm LAC to reach a common understanding of the alignment of LAC”.
“In fact, the two sides had engaged in an exercise to clarify and confirm the LAC until 2003, but this process could not continue as the Chinese side did not show the will to follow it,” Srivastava said, putting the responsibility on Beijing.
“Therefore, the insistence now by the Chinese side that there is only one FTA is contrary to the solemn commitments made by China in these agreements,” he said.
“As we have made clear before, the Indian side has always respected and complied with LAC. As the Defense Minister recently said in Parliament, it is the Chinese side that, with its attempts to transgress LAC in various parts of the Western Sector, has tried to unilaterally alter the status quo ”.
In recent months, the Chinese side, he said, has repeatedly asserted that the current situation in the border areas should be resolved in accordance with the agreements signed between the two countries.
Referring to the September 10 meeting in Moscow between the Foreign Ministers, Srivastava said the Chinese side reiterated its commitment to abide by all existing agreements.
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“Therefore, we hope that the Chinese side will sincerely and faithfully comply with all agreements and understandings in their entirety and refrain from promoting an unsustainable unilateral interpretation of LAC,” he said.
The Indian response, sharp in tone and tenor, after the sixth round of corps commander-level talks, which was also attended by a senior Indian diplomat, indicates that the two sides have also tightened their positions diplomatically.
In the talks, the two sides agreed not to engage in “escalation behavior” throughout LAC. Although there was no agreement on “disengagement” at the friction points, the two sides reached an understanding not to escalate the situation as the troops of the two armies remain within firing range of each other.
“They agreed to seriously implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen communication on the ground, avoid misunderstandings and wrong judgments, stop sending more troops to the front, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any action that may complicate the situation, ”said a joint press release after the meeting.
Sources said that if the “non-intensive behavior” is sustained for a reasonable period of time, it will give confidence to take the next step. And to move the process forward, sources said, another round of talks could take place between commanders and diplomats.
But the latest statements from Beijing reflect a hardening of the position. Hopes for an early resolution of the Ladakh crisis are fading fast, and it appears that the two armies will have to keep their troops deployed in the region during the winter months.
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