‘Peace at LAC critical for normal ties,’ says EAM Jaishankar in parliament on border talks with China

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said Tuesday (Dec. 3) that the ties between New Delhi and Beijing have seen improvement in the recent past, saying the next priority for the two nations would be continuing de-escalation.

The Indian minister was addressing the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, on India-China ties.

Jaishankar added that ties between the two Asian neighbours can’t be normal without peace at the border. He also urged China to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two nations.

“Recent developments that reflect continuous diplomatic engagements have set Indo-China ties in the direction of some improvement. Disengagement has been achieved in full in eastern Ladakh," the Indian foreign minister said.

Jaishankar in his address said that peace and tranquility along the LAC had been disturbed “as a result of Chinese actions” but recent developments indicate improvement in ties. However, Jaishankar also stressed that China continues to illegally occupy 38,000 square km of the Indian territory.

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“The House is cognizant of the fact that China is in illegal occupation of 38,000 square km of the Indian territory in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict and the events that preceded it," he said.

Jaishankar also told lawmakers that Pakistan “illegally ceded 5,180 square km of the Indian territory to China in 1963, which has been under its occupation since 1948.”

“We remain committed to engaging with China through bilateral discussions to arrive at a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable framework for a boundary settlement. Members would recall that the amassing of a large number of troops by China along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020 resulted in face-offs with our forces at a number of points. The situation also led to the disruption of patrolling activities. It is to the credit of our armed forces that despite logistical challenges and the then prevailing Covid situation, they were able to counter-deploy rapidly and effectively," Jaishankar said.

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The Indian foreign minister further briefed the lawmakers about the LAC agreement that India reached with China following the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and China’s Xi Jinping in Russia’s Kazan.

(With inputs from agencies)