External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated on Tuesday that China breached agreements in 2020 by deploying a significant number of forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Jaishankar added that India reacted by deploying its own troops in response, resulting in an “very abnormal deployment” along the LAC.
Addressing a Viksit Bharat program in Kolkata on Tuesday, Jaishankar highlighted that China deployed troops during India’s COVID lockdown, and “none of us should disregard the security of the country.”
He said, “We had a 1962 experience useful to remind us a bit as some people are in denial…but it wasn’t just 1962. After 1962, in 1988, Rajiv Gandhi went to China. In many ways, that was the key step towards normalizing our ties. And then, there was a very clear understanding that we will discuss our boundary differences, but we will maintain our peace and tranquility on the border.”
“What changed now is what happened in 2020. In 2020, the Chinese in violation of multiple agreements brought a large number of forces at the border, and they did it at a time when we were under COVID lockdown in this country…We responded by counter-deploying our forces…And then, we had the clash in Galwan,” he asserted.
The External Affairs Minister emphasized that the current tensions between the two countries are not solely about events from 62 years ago but rather about the ongoing developments occurring today along the border.
“And for four years, we both are deployed ahead of our normal base positions, normal patrolling zones out there. So it is a very abnormal deployment today along the Line of Actual Control…” Jaishankar said.
“Now given this tension between the two countries, it is not a matter of we had a conflict 62 years ago, it is what is happening today on the border. As Indian citizens, none of us, can or should disregard the security of our country…so we cannot carry on for the rest of life, saying it is not our concern. So, it is today a challenge,” he added.
Significantly, in 2020, Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Galwan, coinciding with the onset of the pandemic.
Since May 2020, when Chinese troops attempted to alter the status quo aggressively along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, both sides have maintained forward deployments near Patrolling Point 15, which became a contentious area following the Galwan clash.
Since 2020, over 50,000 Indian soldiers have been stationed at forward posts along the LAC equipped with advanced weaponry to deter any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo on the LAC.
During March, amidst border tensions, India and China held discussions on achieving full disengagement and addressing issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western sector of their border areas.
Furthermore, in January of this year, India reiterated its enduring stance on China, emphasizing ongoing diplomatic and military engagement between the two nations in pursuit of a resolution.
“India’s position on China is very well known. It is a relationship, which is not normal, but we have had dialogues both on the military side and on the diplomatic side in October and November. And the idea is that we engage so that we can have some sort of resolution,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during weekly media briefing previously.
For the past three years, the two nations have been embroiled in a military standoff since May 2020, when China attempted to aggressively change the status quo along the LAC.