Violation Of Border Pacts Eroded India-China Bilateral Ties, Rajnath Singh Tells Li Shangfu

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Chinese Defence Minister and State Councillor Li Shangfu Thursday and held “frank discussions” on the ongoing military standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Chinese Defence Minister Li is on a two-day visit to India. This is the first such visit by a Chinese Defence Minister since the border standoff began in April 2020.

According to official sources, the meeting between the two defence minister will result in the gradual de-escalation and disengagement of forces by both sides even as both New Delhi and Beijing have pushed in more troops at the LAC, which witnessed a major clash in June 2020 in which India lost 20 of its soldiers.

“The two Ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations. The Raksha Mantri categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders,” said an official statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.

The statement also said Singh told Li during the meeting that “all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments.”

Singh, who was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan along with others in the meeting, told Li that “violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation.”

India and China have five border pacts, dating back to 1993. These agreements are 1993 Agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas, 1996 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the LAC, 2005 Protocol on Modalities for the Implementation of the Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the LAC, 2012 Agreement on the Establishment of a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs and 2013 Border Defence Cooperation Agreement.

DEMAND FOR STATUS QUO BY INDIA

Li, who is under American sanctions for buying weapons from the US, will be meeting Singh again on Friday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting that is taking place in New Delhi. India is the current chair of SCO.

Last month Li had visited Moscow wherein he not only met his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu but also President Vladimir Putin.

The bilateral meeting between both the Defence Ministers happened just days after both sides concluded the commander-level talks concluded on April 25 with no headway in the ongoing tensions that have adversely impacted India-China bilateral ties.

So far since the standoff began, Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged from the northern and southern banks of the Pangong Tso, Gogra and the Hot Springs, while tensions remain in Depsang Plains and Demchok which India calls as “legacy issues.”

India has also demanded that troops go back to their original positions as it existed before the standoff began by way following a status quo even as both sides will move to bring back the additional troops as well as the weaponry that have all been pushed in the border areas due to the rising tensions there.

On Monday, Indian Ambassador to Beijing Pradeep Kumar Rawat presented his credentials to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Rawat succeeded Vikram Misri as India’s envoy to Beijing in March 2022.

President Xi is expected to visit India in July for the SCO Heads of State Summit which is also likely to see attendance by Putin.

Despite tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, two-way trade reached a record $136 billion in 2022. Earlier this month, Chinese Consul General to India Kong Xianhua had said that Beijing is keen to promote a balanced trade with India.”