External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar acknowledged that the tension between India and China in the past few years has not served either of the countries well. He said that the faster the countries resolve the issue, the better it is for both.
Jaishankar was speaking during the ‘Express Adda’ hosted by The Indian Express on Monday. Responding to a question on the India-China relationship, Jaishankar said, “I think it is in our common interest that we should not have that many forces on the Line of Actual Control. I think it is in our common interest that we should observe agreements that we have signed. And, I believe that it is not just in common interest, I believe it is in China's interest as well. This tension that we have seen for the last four years has not served either of us well. So, the sooner we resolve it, I genuinely believe it is good for both of us. I am still very much committed to finding a fair, reasonable outcome. But one which is respectful of agreements, recognises the Line of Actual Control, doesn't seek to change the status quo. That, I think, will be good for both of us.”
Responding to another question on China, the minister said that it is imperative for countries involved in a boundary dispute to believe that there is a solution.
When asked if the current dispensation will get more empowered to talk about the issue in the Parliament with more seats, Jaishankar said that the fairness of a boundary solution has nothing to do with how many seats are won. “Either it's a good deal or not a good deal. The issue today is not whether you have a political majority or not. It is whether you have a fair deal on the table that is the issue,” he said during the discussion.
The border standoff in eastern Ladakh, which broke out on May 5, 2020, followed a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area. The Galwan Valley clash in June 2020 significantly deteriorated the relationship between the two countries, marking the gravest military conflict in decades. Recently, India and China conducted a new round of high-level military discussions to resolve the border dispute. Both parties agreed to maintain 'peace and tranquillity' on the ground, but there were no signs of any breakthrough.