China’s unilateral attempts to change LAC status quo impacted bilateral relationship: MEA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) stated in its Annual Report 2021-22 issued on Monday that China’s continued unilateral attempts to alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have damaged the India-China bilateral relationship.

According to the MEA assessment, China has made multiple unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC in the Western Sector during April-May 2020, which has gravely disrupted the peace and tranquillity along the LAC. According to the MEA, China’s attempts were always met with a befitting response by the Indian Armed Forces.

According to the MEA study issued by the ministry’s Policy Planning Division, India’s interaction with China is complicated. Nonetheless, the two parties have committed to manage their differences and not allow disagreements on any topic to become controversies.

Furthermore, the two sides agreed that, awaiting a definitive resolution of the boundary dispute, preserving tranquility and peace in border areas is a crucial foundation for the bilateral relationship’s overall growth.

Both parties have agreed to use peaceful conversation to settle the concerns along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. As a result, consultations with the Chinese side have resumed in order to achieve total disengagement from all friction spots and the full restoration of peace and serenity in the India-China Border Areas as soon as possible.

According to the MEA, India has continued its engagement with China through both diplomatic and military channels in order to settle the outstanding concerns as soon as possible in order to restore peace and tranquillity along the border.

On the margins of the 21st SCO Conference of the Heads of Governments, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on September 16, 2021. According to the MEA, the two Ministers discussed the border situation along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

They had previously met on the margins of the SCO Foreign Ministers conference in July 2021 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Military and diplomatic representatives from both sides are meeting on a daily basis to continue their negotiations on resolving the outstanding concerns as soon as possible. Both parties agreed that prolonging the current scenario was not in either party’s best interests because it was negatively hurting the relationship.