Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar | Photo credit: PTI
New Delhi: China has brought tremendous force to the border, apparently referring to the Line of Effective Control (LAC), without provocation, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.
Speaking at the National Leadership Conclave of the All India Management Association, the Minister of External Affairs pointed out that over the past 40 years, India and China have had peace and quiet on the border without however “suggest that we have resolved the border dispute”.
“For the past 40 years, we have had peace and quiet at the border. I’m not suggesting that we resolved the border dispute … But the rest of our relationship was built on the premise that neither use force nor threaten another. We had various agreements which translated these good intentions into commitments ”, he declared during the conclave.
“Last year that changed. The Chinese, without provocation, brought enormous force to the border. It is not rocket science; you cannot disrupt the peace and quiet at the border and pursue the rest of the relationship. I’ve said it for a year and it hasn’t changed, ”he said.
The minister reiterated India’s call for peace and stability on the border so that relations are normalized. For this relationship to progress, Jaishankar said: “I have to find peace and quiet at the border and there are no two ways to do it.”
India has stood firm on the northern border against China and has proven it will not be pushed, Defense Chief of Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat said Thursday.
Speaking during the Raisina dialogue here, General Rawat said India has stood firm in preventing a change in the status quo on the Real Line of Control (LAC) and has garnered international support.
Indian security agencies are closely monitoring Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries which continue to be deployed near the effective line of control near eastern Ladakh.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has continued to deploy surface-to-air missiles, including HQ and 22 HQ near Indian territory, given continuing tensions, government sources told ANI last week.
The two countries have been in a military standoff for nearly a year, but withdrew from the most controversial area of Lake Pangong last month after lengthy talks at the military and political levels.