China is ready to take “conciliatory steps” in order to de-escalate tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, a day after holding a crucial meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Speaking during a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Wang said troops and equipment should be withdrawn from the LAC. “As for relations between China and India, the whole world follows developments. BRICS member states are in contact on the matter, I discuss it all the time with Minister Jaishankar and India’s security officials … Yesterday, I had a long conversation with my Indian counterpart (Jaishankar),” Sputnik quoted Wang as saying.
“Indian partners expressed commitment to cooperation and dialogue for de-escalating tensions at the border. We are ready to take conciliatory steps… The most important thing is to avoid new violations of the obligations on the border… Troops and equipment should be withdrawn from the Line of Actual Control,” he added.
Sources told The Daily Guardian that Jaishankar with his “logical arguments and clinching evidence” countered the Chinese foreign minister’s attempts to put the blame on Indian armed forces “for creating flashpoints” on the LAC. Jaishankar, without beating about the bush, raised the concern at “the amassing of PLA troops without any credible explanation.”
However, after two-anda-half hour-long discussion meandering through various points of differences, India and China finally agreed on five points to “guide their approach to the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including the disengagement of troops and easing of tensions.”
The five-point agreements between New Delhi and Beijing, however, remind one of the historic Panchsheel pact based on five principles of mutual coexistence. But eight years after that historic agreement of what was described as “mutual existence”, there was a war between India and China, which is still fresh in everybody’s memory. While referring to this incident, Indian diplomats want China to walk the ‘talk’ that the five-point agreements reflect.
According to five points, both the sides have agreed on continuation of dialogue. Apart from stressing on disengagement at the border, India and China have agreed not to allow differences to become disputes. Both have also agreed to respect the past border agreements and new trust-measures. Sources said that while stressing on the point “respecting the past border agreements”, Jaishankar told Wang that PLA is disrespectful to such border pacts of the past.
iour of Chinese frontline troops at numerous incidents of friction along the LAC showed disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols,” EAM, according to sources, told his Chinese counterpart. India has also told China that the immediate task is to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in all friction areas. Sources said that Indian foreign minister categorically told Chinese minister that there should be full adherence to the agreements on management on border areas. “India would not accept any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally on LAC,” sources said quoting Jaishankar.
According to sources, Jaishankar assertively said that Indian troops followed all agreements and protocols pertaining to the management of the border areas. “Indian Army doesn’t want to escalate and has no intent to change the status quo but shall defend its territory, come what may, without an offensive intent,” added Jaishankar while talking to Wang.
MEA officials said Jaishankar knows Wang very well, as he has been India’s ambassador in China for a long period of time. He outright rejected all assertions by Beijing that Indian troops had crossed the LAC and blamed the latest face-offs during August 29-30 and on September 7 on provocative military actions by Chinese forces.
According to a joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs Friday, both ministers had a “frank and constructive” discussion on the developments in the India-China border areas, as well as on India-China relations.
According to the statement, the two ministers agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on developing India-China relations, and ensure differences do not become disputes
“They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions,” the MEA statement said.
The two ministers also agreed both sides should abide by all existing agreements and protocol on China-India boundary affairs, maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and avoid any action that could escalate matters, the statement said.
With agency inputs