Amid signs that talks between India and China on disengagement at other friction points had stalled, India said there would be no de-escalation of forces in eastern Ladakh until there was disengagement in all friction areas. “It is our expectation that the Chinese side will work with us, both through the WMCC and senior commanders’ meetings, to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
This, he added, “would allow” both sides to “consider deescalation of forces in eastern Ladakh as that alone will lead to the restoration of peace and tranquility”.
As before, India emphasised that “progress in the bilateral relationship” would happen only when there was peace on the border.
After the first round of disengagement on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, which saw the creation of a ‘buffer’ zone which would not be patrolled, talks between the two sides to negotiate a disengagement in Dogra-Hot Springs appear to be going nowhere. The last meeting of the military commanders led to a stalemate of sorts. Ultimately, India wants to restore its patrolling rights in the Depsang plains where Chinese troops have prevented Indians from going up to Patrolling Points10 to13.
Srivastava said foreign minister S Jaishankar, in his conversation with his counterpart Wang Yi, “had emphasised that with the completion of disengagement in the Pangong Lake area, the two sides should now move quickly to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh”. “A prolongation of the existing situation is not in the interest of either side,” Srivastava added.
Another WMCC meeting between the two sides has not yet happened as a follow-up to the senior commanders’ meeting. “The senior commanders in their last meeting (on February 20) had noted that the disengagement in Pangong Lake area was a significant step forward and it provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector,” Srivastava said.
China blames India for tension
Meanwhile, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday reiterated Beijing’s position that the border issue was not the “whole story” of the bilateral relationship and the two countries need to create “enabling conditions” to resolve the dispute and move on. Reiterating that India and China were partners and not rivals, Wang again blamed India for the border flare-up last year and called for the countries to manage disputes properly.
Responding to a query on ties with India, Wang claimed the “rights and wrongs” of what happened at the border were clear and “so are the stakes involved”, suggesting the two sides move on. In his recent interaction with Wang, Jaishankar had, however, made the point that ties could not be reset as long as there were tensions on the border caused by aggressive Chinese actions.
“The two sides need to help each other to succeed instead of undercutting each other. We should intensify cooperation instead of harbouring suspicion,” Wang said.
“We are committed to settling the boundary dispute through dialogue. At the same time, we are resolved to safeguard our sovereign rights,” he added, as he refrained from making any direct comment on disengagement and de-escalation efforts in eastern Ladakh. In his remarks, Wang said the world expected China and India to safeguard the common interests of the developing countries and advance multipolarity in the world. “On many important issues, our positions are the same or close due to similar national realities, therefore China and India are each other’s friends and partners, not threats or rivals,” he said.
Wang said it was the responsibility of both sides to solidify the existing consensus, strengthen dialogue and communication and improve the various management mechanisms to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
