China and India blame each other for border faceoff, agree on need for urgent resolution

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Indian and Chinese troops face off in the Galwan Valley on the disputed border between China and India, June 15, 2020. (Photo courtesy: CCTV)

(TibetanReview.net, Jul15’21) – The Chinese foreign minister said Jul 14 that the truth of the China-India border issues last year was clear, and China was not to be blamed, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency Jul 15. China insists, however, the border situation should not affect ties in other areas. But India disagrees, with its External Affair Minister saying China’s violation of existing agreements, including with last year’s violence, disturbed the border peace and bilateral ties.

Both sides reiterated their respective positions as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

While China continues to blame India’s alleged troop build-up for the LAC stand-off, India says Beijing’s violation of bilateral agreements is the reason for the border strife, reported the timesofindia.com Jul 14.

“Discussions focused on the outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western sector,” Jaishankar said on Twitter.

“Highlighted that unilateral change of status quo is not acceptable. Full restoration and maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas are essential for development of our ties,” he added.

He said the two sides agreed to hold an early meeting of the senior military commanders.

The two countries completed disengagement in the Pangong Tso area of Ladakh in February this year but there’s been little headway at remaining friction points, noted the timesofindia.com Jul 15.

But according to the Xinhua report, Wang had noted that since the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Moscow last September, the frontline troops of the two militaries have got disengaged at the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Tso Lake area, and the situation in the China-India border area had generally been easing.

It cited Wang as having stressed that China’s strategic judgment of the bilateral relations remained unchanged, adding that neither country should be a threat to each other, but an opportunity for each other’s development, and China and India were partners, not rivals, let alone enemies.

China is ready to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the issues that require emergency treatment through negotiation and consultation with the Indian side, Wang was further cited as saying.

Both sides agreed that the current situation suited neither side, reported thehindu.com Jul 15. It quoted Jaishankar as saying, “both sides had agreed that a prolongation of the existing situation was not in the interest of either side.”

And it quoted Wang as saying, on his part, “relations between India and China are still at a low point” which “is not in anyone’s interest”.

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