NEW DELHI ( Brussels Independent with AP) – The situation between India and China in the western Himalayan region of Ladakh is fragile and dangerous with troops stationed so close to each other in some areas, India’s S. Foreign Minister Jaishankar said.
At least 24 of his soldiers died when the two sides clashed in the region in mid-2020, but a round of diplomatic and military talks calmed the situation.
In December, violence erupted in the borderless eastern region between the nuclear-armed Asian giants, with no casualties.
“The situation remains very fragile in my opinion, as our operations are very close and therefore very dangerous from a military point of view.”
He said relations between India and China could not return to normal until the border dispute was resolved, in principle in line with the September 2020 agreement he signed with his Chinese counterpart. “China has to do what they have agreed and they are struggling with that.”
Forces on both sides have withdrawn from many areas, but talks are ongoing on outstanding issues, Jaishankar said.
“We have made it clear to the Chinese people that we must not break the peace and tranquility, that we must not break the agreement, that we do not want the rest of the relationship to continue as if nothing happened.“
Jaishankar said he discussed the situation with China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang, on the sidelines of his G20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by India this month.
Referring to India’s presidency of this year’s G20, Jaishankar expressed hope that New Delhi could make the Forum “more loyal to its global mission.”
“The G20 should not be a global debate club or arena only in the North. We need to get a full picture of global concerns. We have already made that point very clear,” he said.
