“Tensions With China Will Continue Until…”: S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the tensions between India and China will continue until there are forward deployments of militaries on the border. He noted that China violated agreements on how to keep the border peaceful and tranquil in 2020.

He made these remarks at an event hosted by Carnegie Endowment in the US. India and China have been in a territorial face-off since 2020 after the Chinese Army transgressed into multiple areas from the Galwan Valley to the Finger area along the Pangong Lake.

Speaking about ties between India and China, he said, “In terms of our relationship with China, I think it’s a long story, but the short version is that we have agreements on how to keep the border peaceful and tranquil, and those agreements were violated by China in 2020. And some of the…because we have forward deployments of our militaries, there are resultant tensions. And until those forward deployments are addressed the tensions would continue. If the tensions continue, it casts a natural shadow over the rest of the relationship. So our relationship hasn’t been built for the last four years.”

It is pertinent to mention that the India-China standoff at the border is continuing as multiple rounds of military and diplomatic discussions did not reap results.

Mr Jaishankar noted that China accounts for about 31-32 per cent of global manufacturing and stressed that it has happened as the international community, primarily Western-led, over the past few decades has opted to collaborate with China for mutual benefit.

Asked about India’s strategic picture concerning China, Mr Jaishankar said, “You know, when it comes to trade, correct me if I am wrong. I think China accounts for about, globally about 31-32 per cent of global manufacturing. I think that would be the right number and a lot of that has happened because over multiple decades, the international business, which is primarily Western-led, has chosen to collaborate with China for mutual benefit. So, today, for any country, if you are into any kind of consumption, or even into any kind of manufacturing, sourcing out of China is inevitable because if you are consuming, if you are not manufacturing, not consuming…you get a lot of things the cheapest. And even if you are manufacturing, a lot of your components and your semi-processed materials, you know, come out of them.”

“So, what happens is that in a sense, trade with China at one level is autonomous of the political or the rest of the relationship you can say. So I don’t think it’s just a question of numbers. You also need to look at what is it that you are trading. Because there will be countries, that will be sensitive to their exposure. There would be countries that didn’t care. So, I think for us today, because we were earlier on technology. We are very sensitive to our data flows. It’s often to me a little perplexing that people debate so deeply how the data must be secured at home, but are less concerned about what happens when the data leaves your border. So, in a much more data-sensitive world, in a much more technology-sensitive world, I think it’s important to look at what your exposures are, how you mitigate it, how you balance it, how you diminish the risks,” he added.

Earlier in August, India and China held the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in Bejing, and the two sides decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas per relevant bilateral agreements and protocols, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The two sides had a “frank, constructive and forward-looking” exchange of views on the LAC situation and also agreed to intensify contact through diplomatic and military channels.

“In line with the guidance provided by two Foreign Ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024 to accelerate their discussion, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month, the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues. For this, they further agreed to intensify contact through diplomatic and military channels,” MEA said in a statement.

The two sides reiterated that the restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for LAC are essential for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations.

“In the meantime, they decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two Governments. It was reiterated that restoration of peace and tranquility, and respect for LAC are the essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the statement added.