There was no meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite efforts from the Chinese side. The visit to India is also suggested by Beijing as part of Wang’s trip to the region.
India on Friday pushed China to withdraw troops immediately from all areas of conflict in the Ladakh region to set the stage for the withdrawal of the Real Management Liax (LAC), where tensions continue to hold normal relations between the two countries.
This was the message conveyed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in their separate meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a visit to New Delhi. The message was also a rip-off of Wang’s repetition of China’s stated position that the LAC position should be kept “in good shape” while both sides continue the relationship at other levels.
Wang, who began his unannounced visit on Thursday and was the first major Chinese leader to travel to India since the disagreement began in May 2020, first held talks with NSA Ajit Doval and then met with S Jaishankar for about three hours. When Wang left India for Nepal on Friday afternoon, it was clear that there had never been any success in terms of the LAC’s position in his talks with his Indian spokespersons.
aishankar and Wang exchanged views on the Ukrainian crisis and the two sides agreed on the importance of a speedy agreement and return to negotiations. Jaishankar explained why Wang’s remarks on the Kashmir issue at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Pakistan earlier this week were “opposed”, and also raised Indian concerns related to terrorism in the Pakistani context.
In the event of a disagreement in the Ladakh sector, Jaishankar referred to 15 rounds of military negotiations and eight rounds of cooperation negotiations that led to divisions in many areas of conflict and said much remained to be done.
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“This must be continued because evictions must be completed in order to negotiate economic recovery. I can describe our current situation as a work in progress, apparently at a slower pace than expected and my discussions with [Wang] today were aimed at speeding up the process, ”he said at a press conference.
Noting that peace and order in border areas are the basis of stable and co-operative relations, Jaishankar said he was “extremely faithful” in conveying “our national sentiments” that the tensions created by the deployment of Chinese troops since April 2020 “could not be reconciled.”
Responding to a question on whether a meeting with the Chinese minister is a return to normalcy in bilateral talks, Jaishankar emphasized that the situation was “unusual” due to the influx of Chinese troops in violation of 1993 and 1996 border control agreements. , and peace and tranquility in border areas are disturbed.
“Well … if you ask me, is our relationship normal today? My answer to you is no, it is not. And it will not be normal if the situation in border areas is not normal, ”he said.
While Wang spoke of China’s desire to return to normalcy, Jaishankar said he had told his Chinese counterpart that India also wanted a stable and unpredictable relationship. “But the restoration of normalcy will require the restoration of peace and tranquility. If we are both committed to improving our relationship, this commitment must be fully reflected in the ongoing negotiations, ”he said.
Disagreements, as well as the brutal conflict in Galwan Valley in June 2020 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers, have taken international relations to a critical level since the 1962 border war. Both sides have mobilized tens of thousands of troops near the LAC and negotiating circles have only led to a rift on the northern and southern frontiers of Pangong Lake and Gogra.
Jaishankar welcomed “significant progress” in the negotiations so far but said “they have not completely resolved the issue”. He added, “So, our goal today is to solve the problem completely and deal with disunity. So that allows us to look at the potential for decline. ”
People familiar with the talks say the Indian side wants to withdraw from all the disputed areas in the Ladakh region, while the Chinese side seems to be more focused on discussing India’s participation in Brazil-Russia-India-India-China-South Africa (Brics). ) The summit will be hosted by Beijing later this year and assess the position of India in the political restructuring and turmoil created by the Ukrainian conflict.
According to a statement from Beijing on the Wang-Jaishankar summit, the Chinese minister said the border issue should be “in the right context” for bilateral relations, and not allowed to “define or even affect” the development of relations. A Mandarin statement argues that forces on both sides “successfully deployed in many areas” of the Ladakh region and that “non-participation in the remaining areas should be stopped as soon as possible”.
The two sides agreed to negotiate to deepen economic and trade cooperation, facilitate trade and labor for cross-border river crossings, the statement added.
Jaishankar said both sides exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and the same thing that emerged “agreed on the importance of ending the shootings as soon as possible, as well as returning to negotiations and negotiations”. He said he and Wang had discussed the chairmanship of the Chinese Brics and had “spoken openly about hosting a conference where they would naturally like the participation of all leaders”, but did not elaborate.
The Brics Summit is expected to be held in the third quarter of 2022 and it is still unclear whether it will be a personal meeting, people familiar with the matter said.
Jaishankar admitted he had raised Wang’s remarks at a meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Islamabad on March 22 and explained “why we found this statement unpopular”. “We have expressed our hope that China will follow an independent policy towards India, and not allow its policies to be influenced by other countries and other relations,” he said.
A few hours before Wang arrived in New Delhi, the Foreign Ministry rejected his remarks at an OIC summit authorizing foreign views on the Kashmir issue, saying China had no place to comment on the matter.
According to a statement from the Chinese side, Wang proposed three ideas in his meeting with Doval – China and India do not pose a threat to each other and differences in the border issue should be “appropriate” in bilateral relations; China does not pursue “Asia unipolar”, respects the traditional role of India in the region and both sides should explore “China-India +” cooperation in South Asia; and both sides must participate in international processes such as the Brics and the G20 with a “co-operative attitude”.
People familiar with the matter say that Doval perpetuates the need to promote “early disunity” in the remaining areas of conflict and remove barriers to bilateral relations. The Indian side has made it clear that the continuation of the current situation is useless for both countries and the restoration of peace and tranquility will help build trust and ensure progress in relations.
The Chinese side invited Doval to visit China to further the work done by Special Representatives on the border issue, and the NSA responded positively but said he could visit immediately after the dispute was resolved, people said. In fact, the situation in India remains that SR-level negotiations are only possible after the April 2020 re-election with the LAC.
Jaishankar also strongly condemned the “critical situation” of Indian students who were not allowed to return to Chinese universities due to Covid-19 restrictions. “We hope that China will adopt a non-discriminatory approach, as it affects the future of many young people. Minister Wang Yi has assured me that he will speak to the relevant authorities when he returns on this matter, ”he said.
The Indian side also raised trade and investment issues and suppressed fair access to Chinese markets.
People familiar with the tour plan say Wang’s arrival was not announced because the Chinese side insisted that all trips to the region were kept under surveillance. They added that no announcement had been made by the Chinese side although Chinese media were present at Wang’s arrival in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
Former ambassador Vishnu Prakash said it was good to have a face-to-face conversation between the two sides in New Delhi. “However, one hopes that our Chinese friends will realize that border sanctity needs to be maintained in order to maintain good relations. “Both sides will benefit from good relations, especially in the face of geo-political flux,” he said.