India, China relationship share ‘difficult history’, but key to the world: Jaishankar
- In Reports
- 04:49 PM, Sep 25, 2024
- Myind Staff
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday that India and China share a “difficult history”. He pointed out that despite having clear agreements, Chinese troops moved many forces to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the COVID-19 pandemic, violating these agreements. Speaking about the continuous border conflicts between the two nations, Jaishankar stated that 75% of the problems have been settled, but he made it clear that he simply meant "disengagement" at that point.
Speaking to the Asia Society at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Dr. S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, said, “When I said 75 per cent of it has been sorted out, it’s only of the disengagement. So, that’s one part of the problem. Some of the patrolling issues still need to be resolved. The next step will be de-escalation.” The External Affairs Minister emphasised further that India-China ties are critical to the future of Asia and the world at large in a "multipolar" world where change has been tearing apart the foundation of the international order.
“Asia is very much at the cutting edge of that change. Within Asia, India is part of leading that change. But that change is today stretching the fabric of the global order. I think the India-China relationship is key to the future of Asia. In a way, you can say if the world is to be multipolar, Asia has to be multipolar. And, therefore, this relationship will influence not just the future of Asia but, in that way, perhaps the future of the world as well,” he further said.
Drawing attention to the escalation of border conflicts between the two neighbouring nations, Jaishankar stated, “We have had a difficult history with China. Despite our clear agreements with China, we saw that during COVID-19 the country violated these agreements by sending a large number of troops to the LAC. It was likely that there would be an accident, and it did happen.”
“There was a clash, and a number of soldiers were killed on both sides,” Jaishankar stated, adding, “This in a way affected the relationship between the two countries.”
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong spoke on the bilateral relationship between China and said, “We should follow the right direction and enhance mutual respect and mutual trust. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reached an important consensus that China and India are not rivals or threats to each other, but are partners in cooperation and development opportunities.”
Adding further he said, “This provides a clear direction for our bilateral relations. We should firmly implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, correctly view each other’s development and strategic intentions and mutually accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns.”
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