News Analysis India

Tag: India China ties

  • India, China hold 11th round of military talks; focus on further disengagement in eastern Ladakh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India on Friday pressed for early disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh at the 11th round of military talks with China, people familiar with the negotiations said.

    The fresh round of Corps Commander-level dialogue began around 10:30 am at the Chushul border point on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and it was continuing till around 10 pm, they said.

    The Indian delegation insisted on completing the disengagement process at the remaining friction points at the earliest, said one of the people.

    The 10th round of the military dialogue took place on February 20, two days after both militaries concluded the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of the Pangong lake.

    The talks lasted for around 16 hours.

    The Indian delegation at Friday’s talks is led by Lieutenant General PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.

    Late last month, Army Chief General MM Naravane said the threat to India has only “abated” following the disengagement in the Pangong lake areas, but it has not gone away altogether.

    The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of the Pangong lake in February, in line with an agreement on disengagement.

    India has been insisting that the resolution of the outstanding issues, including at Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra, is essential for the overall ties between the two countries.

    India on Thursday said it would like to see disengagement in the remaining friction points that could lead to restoration of peace and tranquillity along the frontier and provide conditions for progress of overall bilateral ties.

    “We would like to see disengagement in the remaining areas which would lead to de-escalation in eastern Ladakh and that would hopefully lead to restoration of peace and tranquility and provide conditions for progress of our overall bilateral relationship,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

  • India pitches for early disengagement in remaining areas in eastern Ladakh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India on Friday hoped that China will work with it to ensure disengagement of troops in remaining areas of eastern Ladakh at the earliest, and asserted that de-escalation of tension alone will lead to restoration of peace and tranquility in border areas and provide conditions for progress of bilateral ties.

    At a media briefing, Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said the two sides continue to remain in touch through military and diplomatic channels on the issue.

    He also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s comments that a prolongation of the situation is in neither side’s interest.

    “We, therefore, hope that the Chinese side will work with us to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest,” he added.

    This, he said, would allow both sides to consider de-escalation of forces in eastern Ladakh as that alone will lead to the restoration of peace and tranquility and provide conditions for progress of the bilateral relationship.

    Bagchi also said that there was a consensus that the two sides should now quickly resolve the remaining issues in the region.

    “The disengagement in Pangong Lake area was a significant step forward and it has provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in western sector,” he said.

    Bagchi said the two sides had detailed exchange of views on the remaining issues both at the the senior commanders’ meeting and the discussions held under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs.

  • Trust deficit with China remains, says strategist

    Express News Service
    BENGALURU: The disengagement by Indian and Chinese armies at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Pangong Tso area in eastern Ladakh has begun, but can India trust its neighbour?

    “Not really,” said former additional secretary, Cabinet Secretariat and President, Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, Jayadeva Ranade. “Every claim of withdrawal from the Chiese side needs to be verified and re-verified,” he told The New Sunday Express.

    Both the armies started the process of initial disengagement on Wednesday, a day before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, briefing the Rajya Sabha, gave details of both sides moving out of friction points along the LAC.

    “The disengagement at the LAC is a tentative and first step to reduce chances of conflict between the two armies, where they are eyeball-to-eyeball against the backdrop of distrust for China. The Chinese cannot be trusted. We have to be very watchful of what they do when summer comes,” he said.

    “As long as the Chinese don’t go back to the pre-April 2020 position, we will remain in suspense. The disengagement gives us an opportunity to prepare for their next course of action,” he added.

    Ranade pointed out that while India has made its stand clear on the process and conditions for disengagement, there has been no word from across the border. “Why is President Xi Jinping quiet on the disengagement? Unless he can show to his people that China has gained from this nine-month long standoff at the LAC, his position can be weakened. In 2017, after the Doklam standoff, the reaction from China was immediate. They were very upset. There has been no reaction from China on the disengagement,” he said.

    Ranade commended the Defence Minister for giving details in Parliament. “I am glad the Defence Minister spelt out the Indian territory under illegal occupation. This is significant because now when the two sides meet on the border issue, they will figure prominently. It will be a long LAC,” said Ranade. He said that on the face of it, China agreed to disengage after it realised that India has “resisted their sustained pressure”.

  • India, China discuss issues relating to United Nations Security Council

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India and China on Tuesday held discussions on a wide range of issues relating to the United Nations Security Council, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

    The MEA said the Chinese delegation was briefed about India’s priorities during its UNSC tenure in the meeting that took place in the virtual format.

    “Both sides discussed a wide range of issues on the UNSC agenda. The Indian delegation briefed the Chinese side on India’s priorities during its UNSC tenure,” the MEA said in a statement.

    It said both sides agreed to continue their engagement on key issues on the UNSC agenda.

    China is a permanent member of the UNSC while India began its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member on January 1.

    In August, India is scheduled to serve as the president of the powerful UN body.

    The Indian delegation was headed by Prakash Gupta, joint secretary (UNP and Summits) in the MEA.

    The Indian team comprised officials from East Asia (EA) and UN Economic and Social (UNES) divisions of the MEA as well as from the India’s Permanent Mission in New York and Indian embassy in Beijing.

    The Chinese side at the meeting was led by Yang Tao, director general of the department of international organisations and conferences at the Chinese foreign ministry.

    India and China are locked in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 5 last year.

  • India, China agree to hold 10th round of Corps Commander-level talks soon: MEA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India and China have agreed to soon hold the 10th round of Corps Commander-level talks to take forward the de-escalation process in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

    India and China had last week agreed to push for an early disengagement of troops and resolved to continue “effective efforts” to stabilise and control the situation in eastern Ladakh at their ninth round of military talks on the border standoff.

    “It was said that both sides agreed to follow the important consensus of the leaders of the respective country and maintain the momentum of talks,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing while referring to the joint statement issued after the ninth round of military talks.

    He was asked about the status of negotiations on the border standoff.

    Srivastava said it was also agreed during last week’s military talks to soon hold the 10th round of Corps Commander-level dialogue to take forward the deescalation process.

    ALSO READ | China for ‘package solution’ for UNSC permanent membership reforms

    In the talks, both sides held extensive deliberations on modalities for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh where the two militaries have been engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball face-off for nearly nine months.

    India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all friction points and no selective approach was acceptable to it.

    Close to 1,00,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides have been holding on to their ground and showing readiness for a long-haul, amid continuing diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution.

    In the military talks, India has all along been demanding restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

    The face-off had begun on May 5.

    Last month, India and China held another round of diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs.

    However, no concrete outcome emerged from the meeting.

    Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides had announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters.

    This round was held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave.

    The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

  • EAM Jaishankar outlines eight principles for repairing India-China ties

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday outlined eight broad principles for repairing ties between India and China that included strict adherence to all agreements on management of the Line of Actual Control, mutual respect and sensitivity, and recognising each other’s aspirations as rising Asian powers.

    In an address at an online conference on India-China ties, Jaishankar said the events in eastern Ladakh last year have profoundly disturbed the relationship and asserted that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo along the LAC is “completely unacceptable”.

    The external affairs minister said any expectation that the situation at the border “can be brushed aside and life can carry on undisturbed” is simply not realistic.

    Jaishankar said the India-China relationship is truly at the crossroads today and choices that are made will have profound repercussions not just for the two nations but for the entire world.

    He said the Chinese actions in eastern Ladakh not only signalled a disregard for commitments about minimising troops level but also showed a willingness to breach peace and tranquillity.

    “Significantly, to date, we have yet to receive a credible explanation for the change in China’s stance and massing of troops in border areas,” he said at the All India Conference on China Studies.

    Elaborating on eight points for moving forward in bilateral ties, the external affairs minister said agreements already reached on management of the LAC must be adhered to in their entirety and in letter and spirit.

    “Whether handling of the border areas is concerned, the Line of Actual Control must be strictly observed and respected. Any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo is completely unacceptable,” he said.

    While both nations are committed to a multi-polar world, Jaishankar said, there should be a recognition that a multi-polar Asia is one of its essential consequences.

    “Obviously each state will have its interests, concerns and priorities, but sensitivity to them cannot be one-sided. At the end of the day relationships between major states are reciprocal in nature,” he said.

    Jaishankar said as rising powers, each nation will have their own set of aspirations and their pursuit to it cannot be ignored.

    He said peace and tranquillity in border areas is the basis for development of ties with China in other domains and if it is disturbed, “so inevitably is rest of the relationship”.

    The external affairs minister said far from mitigating already existing differences, events of 2020 have actually put the relationship under “exceptional stress” Any expectation that the situation at border can be brushed aside and life can carry on undisturbed is simply not realistic, he said.

    He said if ties are to progress, policies must take into account the learnings of the last three decades.

  • Indian embassy asks students to continue online classes as China denies permission for flights

    By PTI
    BEIJING: China has denied permission for India to operate chartered flights citing reinforced strict COVID-19 measures, the Indian Embassy here said, advising Indian students studying in Chinese universities to continue their online classes.

    The Embassy continues to take up the matter with Chinese authorities about the Indian students but there has unfortunately been “no positive evolution of this situation”, an Embassy press release here said on Friday.

    “In fact, with reports of resurgence of COVID-19 cases in China, authorities have further reinforced epidemic controls and restrictions on travel and entry into China.

    The suspension of visas of Indian nationals issued before November 2, 2020 is an instance of these enhanced controls,” it said.

    “Chinese authorities have also denied permission for operation of any chartered flights between India and China, citing their strict control measures,” the Embassy said.

    Over 23,000 Indians study in Chinese universities, mostly the medical stream.

    Most of them are stuck in India as they await permission for their colleges to reopen.

    “While the Embassy continues to follow this issue keenly, it has been repeatedly advised by Chinese authorities that the restrictions in place are not likely to be relaxed in the coming months and that students studying in China should be advised accordingly with respect to their studies for the next semester, which are likely to continue only through online means,” the statement said.

    “While the Embassy is aware of the difficulty of undertaking courses in medicine in online format, Indian students enrolled in Chinese universities are advised to take note of the restrictions currently in place and make appropriate arrangements for continuing their education,” it said.

    “All Indian students are advised to continue to monitor the websites of Indian Embassy/Consulate(s) in China and also our social media channels to remain updated about the evolving situation with respect to the prospects of their return to China”, it said.

    “They should also remain in touch with their universities for any updates.

    They may also follow the websites of the Chinese Embassy in Delhi as well as those of Chinese Consulates in India on this issue,” the press release added.