Jaishankar, Wang differ on way forward for India-China ties
The HinduWhile External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday the continuing impasse along the Line of Actual Control was “visibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner”, the Chinese Minister offered a starkly different message, calling on both sides to “place the border issue in an appropriate position”. “Assessing the overall relationship, the External Affairs Minister emphasised that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas has been the foundation for the development of ties since 1988,” the Ministry of External Affairs quoted him as saying, adding that attempts to change status quo last year “disregarded commitments under the 1993 and 1996 agreements” and “have inevitably affected ties”. Mr. Wang also repeated China’s view that “the responsibility does not lie with the Chinese side” for the LAC crisis — another point of difference. Mr. Jaishankar said “the successful disengagement in the Pangong Lake Area earlier this year had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues” and noted “the situation in remaining areas is still unresolved”. He said China’s “strategic judgment on China-India relations remains unchanged”, which is, however, a view that isn’t entirely shared by New Delhi in the wake of the LAC crisis of last year.