Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Friday that “China has not occupied” any Indian land and that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains “competitive, sensitive and challenging.”
Comments from EAM
While speaking to the media in Pune, Jaishankar clarified that the two countries never had troops on the LAC, with both armies deployed away from it on their respective sides. “China has not occupied any of our land. China has tried to bring its troops to the upper part of the mountainous areas along the LAC, but the Indian Army has also responded to it in the same manner. The situation is competitive, sensitive and challenging,” he stated.
“In 2020, China brought its troops forward in some places. In response, we also advanced our units and a standoff ensued. After that, the two armies continue to battle for supremacy… but there is no encroachment,” the EAM asserted.
Opposition’s Response
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called the statements “Modi’s Chinese guarantee 2.0,” which endanger the national security and territorial integrity of India. The EAM’s statement that China has not occupied any Indian land “is a copy-paste of Modi’s clean chit to China, post Galwan, where 20 of our brave soldiers made the supreme sacrifice for Bharat Mata,” Kharge added.
A good interaction with senior journalists in Pune this afternoon.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) April 12, 2024
Free-wheeling discussion on the transformative decade of Modi Sarkar and its reflections in foreign policy as well as our image abroad. pic.twitter.com/JEds5xYf8e
Further lambasting the statements, he went on to say, “Wearing ‘56-inch’ long Chinese blinkers on the ‘Laal Aankh,’ Modi govt has given a free pass to the Chinese, twice in a week’s time. First Modi’s interview in foreign press where he failed to put forth India’s case strongly on the global stage, and now his foreign minister handing over another clean chit to expansionist China.”
Moreover, the Congress President said that the Modi government has refused the opposition’s requests for the last four years to discuss the Chinese aggression. He also questioned whether the 19 rounds of talks with Beijing were to discuss increasing Chinese imports into India.
“Why has the status quo ante, pre 2020, not returned? Why is India still denied access to areas in Depsang Plains, Demchok Nalla and several patrolling points in Hot Springs and Gogra Post? Modi’s policy towards China is ‘M’ for ‘Meek’,” he remarked.
India’s Softening Tone on the Border Issue
In an interview with Newsweek on Wednesday, Indian PM Narendra Modi said India and China must urgently address the “prolonged situation” on their borders. In a visible softening of tone on China, Modi highlighted that stable ties between the two nations are important for the entire region and the world.
“For India, the relationship with China is important and significant,” Modi said, calling for an early resolution of the border dispute “so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind.” Moreover, Modi expressed hope that the two sides “will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity” on the borders “through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels.”