New Delhi: The situation between India and China in the western Himalayan region of Ladakh Fragile and dangerous, in some parts forces are deployed very close to each other, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.
At least 24 soldiers were killed in clashes between the two sides in the region in mid-2020, but the situation has been de-escalated following rounds of diplomatic and military talks.
Violence erupted in December on the eastern side of the unmarked border between the nuclear-armed Asia giants, but no one was killed.
At the India Today Conclave, Jaishankar said, “The situation in my mind still remains very delicate because there are places where our deployments are very close and very dangerous in the military assessment.”
He said that India-China relations cannot be normal unless the border dispute is resolved as per the in-principle agreement reached with his Chinese counterpart in September 2020.
“The Chinese have to deliver what was agreed upon, and they have fought for it.”
Jaishankar said, though both sides have disengaged from several areas, discussions are on on the unresolved points.
“We have made it very clear to the Chinese that we cannot disturb the peace, you cannot violate the agreement and want the rest of the relationship to continue as if nothing happened. This is not sustainable.”
Jaishankar said he discussed the situation with China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by India this month.
Regarding India’s chairmanship of the G20 this year, Jaishankar expressed hope that New Delhi could make the forum “more true to the global mandate”.
Jaishankar said, “The G20 should not be just a debating club or an arena of the global answer. The totality of global concerns needs to be addressed. We have already made that point very strongly.”
Two G20 ministerial meetings in India in the past three weeks have been overshadowed by Russia’s 13-month invasion of Ukraine.
At least 24 soldiers were killed in clashes between the two sides in the region in mid-2020, but the situation has been de-escalated following rounds of diplomatic and military talks.
Violence erupted in December on the eastern side of the unmarked border between the nuclear-armed Asia giants, but no one was killed.
At the India Today Conclave, Jaishankar said, “The situation in my mind still remains very delicate because there are places where our deployments are very close and very dangerous in the military assessment.”
He said that India-China relations cannot be normal unless the border dispute is resolved as per the in-principle agreement reached with his Chinese counterpart in September 2020.
“The Chinese have to deliver what was agreed upon, and they have fought for it.”
Jaishankar said, though both sides have disengaged from several areas, discussions are on on the unresolved points.
“We have made it very clear to the Chinese that we cannot disturb the peace, you cannot violate the agreement and want the rest of the relationship to continue as if nothing happened. This is not sustainable.”
Jaishankar said he discussed the situation with China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by India this month.
Regarding India’s chairmanship of the G20 this year, Jaishankar expressed hope that New Delhi could make the forum “more true to the global mandate”.
Jaishankar said, “The G20 should not be just a debating club or an arena of the global answer. The totality of global concerns needs to be addressed. We have already made that point very strongly.”
Two G20 ministerial meetings in India in the past three weeks have been overshadowed by Russia’s 13-month invasion of Ukraine.