Referring to the withdrawal of troops from four points including Galwan in eastern Ladakh, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that India and China have agreed to work together to create an environment for improving bilateral relations during their meeting in Russia.
According to a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the sidelines of a meeting of high-level officials responsible for security matters in BRICS member countries in St. Petersburg, Russia on Thursday. During this, both sides discussed the progress made in recent discussions on border issues.
What did the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson say?
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked during a press conference on Friday whether the two countries are close to clearing the ice that has frozen bilateral relations for more than four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh? To this, Mao said that both the armies have withdrawn from four areas and the situation on the border is stable. The spokesperson said, “In recent years, the front-line troops of the two countries have completed the withdrawal from four points in the western sector of the China-India border, including the Galwan Valley. The situation on the China-India border is generally stable and under control.”
China spoke after S. Jaishankar’s remarks
His remarks came a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement in Geneva. Jaishankar had said that about 75 percent of the “problems related to the withdrawal of troops” with China have been resolved, but the bigger issue is the increasing militarization on the border. Doval and Wang are special representatives for the India-China border dialogue mechanism. Giving detailed information about the meeting between Doval and Wang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a release that both sides expressed confidence that the stability of China-India relations is in the fundamental and long-term interest of the people of both countries and is conducive to regional peace and development.
‘We should avoid harming each other’
It said that China and India agreed to implement the consensus reached between the heads of government of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding and trust, maintain continuous dialogue and create an environment for promoting bilateral relations. According to the news of the state news agency Xinhua, Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, emphasized that facing a turbulent world, as two ancient Eastern civilizations and emerging developing countries, China and India should hold fast to independence, choose unity and cooperation and avoid harming each other.
Wang expressed hope that the two sides will properly resolve their differences through a pragmatic approach and find a fair way to work together and bring China-India relations back on the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development. Mao said that during the meeting held on Thursday, Wang and Doval discussed the progress made in the discussions to resolve the border issues and agreed to fulfill the consensus reached between the heads of government of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding and trust, create conditions for improving bilateral relations and maintain dialogue in this direction.
Soldiers will be removed from the remaining plants as well
A press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India and China on Thursday agreed to work with “urgency” and “redouble” their efforts to achieve the goal of complete withdrawal of troops from the remaining points of conflict in eastern Ladakh. The release said that in the meeting, Doval told Wang that peace and stability in the border areas and respect for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are essential for the return of normalcy in bilateral relations.
The meeting between Doval and Wang took place two weeks after diplomatic talks between India and China. During the diplomatic talks, both sides agreed to increase contact through diplomatic and military means to find a solution to pending issues. The deadlock between the Indian and Chinese armies has been continuing since May 2020 and the border dispute has not been fully resolved yet.
However, both sides have withdrawn their troops from many points of conflict. Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. This was the most serious military conflict between the two sides after decades. India’s clear stand is that its relations with China cannot be normal until there is peace in the border areas. So far, 21 rounds of Corps Commander level talks have taken place between the two sides to resolve the deadlock.