India-China relations have been disrupted by the inexplicable violation of agreements on border management and troop deployment and Beijing needs to reflect on the world’s reaction to its actions, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday .
The current state of bilateral relations is a “cause for concern” because 45 years of peace and quiet on the Royal Line of Control (ALC) have been eroded by the events of this year, including the June crash in the Valley of Galwan, said Jaishankar. participating in a virtual discussion with his Canadian counterpart François-Philippe Champagne.
Champagne described Canada’s relations with China as “multidimensional and complex,” and said one of the biggest problems for Ottawa was Beijing’s arbitrary detention of two Canadian citizens for about 700 days. “Coercive diplomacy” has no place in today’s world, and Canada will challenge China on issues such as human rights and the situations in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, while coexisting and cooperating in areas such as the Indo-Pacific, trade and climate change, said Champagne.
Jaishankar said that 45 years of peace in LAC have made China one of India’s main trading partners and have sparked growth in investment, technology linkages and tourism. “The last time someone was killed [by violence] on that border it was 1975, and in June 2020, it changed, ”he said.
“I think we are going through a period of stressful relations with China. My hope is that the people at the end of the relationship understand the seriousness of what happened, “he added.
He suggested that China needs to reflect on the world’s reaction to its actions. Although China’s rise is part of a global rebalancing, “it is the responsibility of the rising power to also consider how the world reacts … It is not enough to move up, I think it is enough to move up with a certain degree of attention and consideration for the system. broader international, ”he said.
Jaishankar said the two sides had agreements not to bring large numbers of forces to the border that were observed for 30 years. “If today, that is violated without explanation, without justification being offered, we have to ask ourselves, where is this going? I ask.
“There is cause for concern, but it is in the nature of our work to try to find solutions,” he said, against the background of India and China failing to advance disengagement after several rounds of talks.
The two ministers were participating in a debate on the topic “The role of Canada and India in a post-Covid-19 world” organized by the think tanks Center for International Governance Innovation and Gateway House.
Jaishankar and Champagne spoke about the potential for India and Canada to cooperate for the post-Covid-19 economic recovery, creating stable supply chains and developing and accessing vaccines. Champagne said that India plays a critical role in the manufacture and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and that the two countries can do more together in the Indo-Pacific region and to maintain a rules-based international order.
Jaishankar noted that Covid-19 has rocked the world and that India and Canada should focus on how they can shape the emerging order. India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat presents new opportunities for Canadian companies and new areas of cooperation include digital technologies, space and clean energy, he said.
Without naming the Khalistan movement, which was a major irritant in India-Canada ties during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first term, Jaishankar said: “Both nations have benefited from the talent and creativity of the human bridge. However, we have also seen the misuse of democratic freedoms by a small minority with medieval beliefs and a propensity for violence ”.
Trade between India and Canada is currently worth around $ 10 billion a year and Canadian investments in India total more than $ 60 billion. The main investors include Canadian pension funds and 500 Canadian companies have investments in India.
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