Relations with China will not be normal until issues from 2020 faceoff resolved: EAM Jaishankar
The ties with China will not return to normalcy until the issue of the face-off that happened at the beginning of the COVID lockdown is resolved, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.
The minister, speaking at the Forum For Nationalist Thinkers, Hyderabad Chapter Talk On ‘India’s G20 Presidency’ in Hyderabad, noted that the world takes note of the change with which India addresses its issues.
“We were completely preoccupied with the COVID challenge. Please appreciate the anonymity of what Prime Minister Modi did. He deployed forces at this great height in very difficult conditions in the middle of COVID. And then took this challenge head-on,” he added. He further said while assuring,” I can tell you the entire world has taken notice of this. They have also noted that since then we have stood firm. We have made it very clear that until there is a resolution to this issue, our relations with China will not be normal,” ANI quoted S Jaishankar as saying.
“The world takes note of that resolve and determination,” he pointed out. Talking about similar incidents, Jaishankar said, “We were not so effective and determined before, we had occasions when we sent them unprepared. But now, whoever is sent is fully equipped and supported.” He also spoke on how the infrastructure near the border areas has changed, he said that there is a challenge of infrastructure near the borders because it was neglected for a long time.
“Our roads in northern areas have doubled, and tunnelling has tripled,” he added. “People today say that economy and infrastructure don’t matter. Let me tell you, it matters to the soldiers on the field. If we don’t provide them infrastructure, we are not doing them justice,” the EAM said. The world is also noticing how India is dealing with the issue of terrorism. “Terrorism has troubled us for a long time. But the rest of the world compares how we reacted to 26/11, and how we reacted to Uri and Balakot. They see the difference,” Jaishankar said. Speaking on how the world is taking note of India’s actions, EAM also addressed the “leakage problem” on a lighter note.
“I discovered many other countries also had a leakage problem. They asked us how did we fix it. We told them first we fixed the problem by having a different party in power. We then fixed it by applying technology also,” he added. India and China are locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh for over 32 months. The bilateral relationship came under severe strain following the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in June, 2020. Meanwhile, the 26th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on 22 February 2023 in person in Beijing which was the first in-person meeting since July 2019.
“The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner, which would help in restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in Western Sector and create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. (One India)
