‘Border areas will require further attention’: Jaishankar on India-China agreement | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Jaishankar on Wednesday outlined the next steps in India’s approach to restoring peace and stability with China in Rajya Sabha, highlighting that the recent agreement aims to resume traditional patrolling and address critical local concerns while de-escalating tensions in the border areas.
Briefing about the China situation in the Rajya Sabha, EAM S Jaishankar said, “The situation arising after our counter deployment in 2020 called for multiple sets of responses. The immediate priority was to ensure disengagement from friction points so that there would be no further untoward incidents or clashes. This has been fully achieved.”
The next phase, he explained, focuses on de-escalation to address the large-scale troop presence along the LAC and the challenges it poses. Resumption of patrolling, tested through initial verification measures, is now underway as part of the agreed framework.
He added, “The next priority will be to consider de-escalation that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments. It is also evident that the management of border areas will require further attention in light of our recent experiences.”
While outlining these steps, Jaishankar reinforced India’s core principles for the border’s management: respecting the LAC, avoiding unilateral changes to the status quo, and fully abiding by prior agreements. These principles, he asserted, form the foundation of India’s broader relationship with China, which remains contingent on maintaining peace and stability in the border areas.
Jaishankar elaborated on the specific measures tied to the agreement, including resolving access issues for India’s nomadic population in Demchok and restoring patrolling routes obstructed by the tensions. The minister reassured the House that regular patrol activities, in alignment with the new understanding, would strengthen mutual trust and ensure adherence to the LAC’s established protocols.
He also delivered a detailed account of India’s border situation with China following the violent Galwan Valley clashes of June 2020. Jaishankar said that the gravity of the events, which marked the first fatalities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 45 years, fundamentally altered bilateral relations.
Tracing the contemporary phase of Sino-Indian relations to 1988, Dr Jaishankar highlighted key milestones that shaped the framework for peace along the border.
“In 1988, there was a clear understanding that the Sino-Indian boundary question would be settled through peaceful consultations,” he said, emphasizing agreements made in subsequent years to maintain peace and tranquillity. These included the 1993 agreement on peace along the LAC, the 1996 confidence-building measures, and the 2005 protocol for implementing these measures.
He remarked, “The purpose of recalling these agreements is to underline the elaborate nature of our shared efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity and to emphasise the seriousness of what its unprecedented disruption in 2020 implied for our overall relationship.”
The EAM was unequivocal in stating that India-China relations cannot return to normalcy without peace along the border. He emphasized that ties are contingent on mutual sensitivity, respect, and interest. “The development of our ties was bound to be impacted adversely due to sustained tension and specific developments in the border areas,” he added.
Highlighting recent diplomatic efforts, Jaishankar referred to discussions with his Chinese counterpart in Astana and Vientiane earlier this year. He also mentioned a meeting between India’s National Security Advisor and his Chinese counterpart in St. Petersburg. These engagements led to the October 21 agreement addressing disengagement issues.
He reiterated that normalcy in relations with China hinges on lasting peace and tranquillity in border areas, and the engagement framework established over the last four years would guide future negotiations.
Opposition MPs, meanwhile, walked out from Rajya Sabha after being disallowed to ask questions on EAM’s statement on China.