File photo of Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The minister said that despite various agreements to maintain peace and tranquility on the border, China had brought tens of thousands of troops to its side of the border without regard to the agreements.
- CNN-News18
- Last update: December 9, 2020 1:47 PM IST
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Foreign Minister S Jaishankar called China while speaking at the Lowy Institute, saying that China is not abiding by the agreements and that that is the real problem between the two sides as they face a crisis on the Royal Line of Control.
He said that communication was not a problem despite the crisis. However, despite several agreements to maintain peace and tranquility on the border, China had brought tens of thousands of troops from its side of the border without taking into account the agreements that state not to bring large forces to LAC.
He said that China had been giving different reasons for their move. But “naturally the relationship will be disrupted,” he said, referring to China’s buildup.
The minister also stated categorically that the relationship has been “badly damaged.” Getting this relationship back on track is a big problem, S Jaishankar admitted.
For the first time since 1975, there were victims on the border. India lost 20 of its soldiers. This, said Dr. S Jaishankar, changed national sentiment.
The two countries had maintained peace and quiet on the border despite the differences. There has never been a gap like the one seen since May of this year.
He noted that despite some setbacks over nearly three decades, the relationship had moved in a positive direction. While there was practically no trade between the two countries 30 years ago, China became India’s second most important trading partner.
The EAM has even mentioned in the past that the overall bilateral relationship is at stake due to the LAC crisis. According to the Indian statement, he specifically underlined this when he met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow in September to discuss the spread of tension in eastern Ladakh.
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