New Delhi: Asserting that difficulties in India-China relations could undermine the so-called Asian century, India’s external affairs minister S. Jaishankar proposed “eight guiding principles” in making the “right decisions”, including no unilateral change in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and border tranquility being the basis for development of ties.
The foreign minister’s remarks were delivered as a keynote address at the All India Conference of China Studies on Thursday.
Addressing the inaugural session virtually, Jaishankar stated that he doesn’t have a definitive answer on where the relationship with China is heading, but he noted that the ties will have to be developed on basis of mutuality.
“Indeed, the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests – are its determining factors. Any expectation that they can be brushed aside, and that life can carry on undisturbed despite the situation at the border, that is simply not realistic,” he stated.
India and China are in the midst of their most serious conflict at the border, with the two militaries at a stand-off at multiple points in eastern Ladakh since May 2020.
“There are discussions underway through various mechanisms on disengagement at the border areas. But if ties are to steady and progress, policies must take into account the learnings of the last three decades”.
Also read: On Ladakh Standoff, India and China Keep Their Gunpowder Dry
He noted that based on the experience of stabilising the bilateral relationship in the past, “eight broad propositions” could be drawn up to guide the two countries. According to Jaishankar, these are:
“First and foremost, agreements already reached must be adhered to in their entirety, both in letter and spirit”.
“Second, where the handling of the border areas are concerned, the LAC must be strictly observed and respected; any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo is completely unacceptable”.
“Third, peace and tranquility in the border areas is the basis for development of relations in other domains. If they are disturbed, so inevitably will the rest of the relationship. This is quite apart from the issue of progress in the boundary negotiations”.
“Fourth, while both nations are committed to a multi-polar world, there should be a recognition that a multi-polar Asia is one of its essential constituents”.
“Fifth, obviously each state will have its own interests, concerns and priorities; but sensitivity to them cannot be one-sided. At the end of the day, relationships between major states are reciprocal in nature”.
“Sixth, as rising powers, each will have their own set of aspirations and their pursuit too cannot be ignored”.
“Seventh, there will always be divergences and differences but their management is essential to our ties”.
“And eighth, civilisational states like India and China must always take the long view”.
The Indian position that rest of the relationship cannot develop without peace and tranquility at the border has been an oft-articulated position over the last few years. However, Beijing continues to have a diametrically opposite view that conflict at the border should not impact other aspects like trade and economic cooperation.
Also read: Trust With China ‘Profoundly Disturbed’ After Border Clash: Jaishankar
Rebuilding ties
The Indian foreign minister observed that it has often been said that the ability of India and China to work together will determine the Asian century. “At this time, it is equally important to recognise that their difficulties in doing so may well undermine it.”
Noting that the relationship was at crossroads, the choices made by the two countries will have profound repercussions not just bilaterally, but also for the entire world. “Respecting the three mutuals and observing those eight principles that I spoke about will surely help us make the right decisions,” stated Jaishankar.
The minister noted that the rebuilding of ties after the 1962 war had been a “very painstaking and arduous endeavour”. “The advancement of ties in this period was clearly predicated on ensuring that peace and tranquility was not disturbed and that the LAC was both observed and respected by both sides. For this reason, it was explicitly agreed that the two countries would refrain from massing troops on their common border. Not just that, there were subsequently detailed understandings on handling situations of friction,” he stated.
India has accused China of triggering the current conflict by increasing troop levels at the frontline and entering into Indian territory beyond the previous patrol patterns at the LAC.
Friction points
While India and China had cooperated on a lot of issues, he admitted that there had been tensions in the relationship even before the 2020 stand-off that “reflected the duality of cooperation and competition”.
He listed these friction points – stapled visa, ban of northern military command, India’s membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group, UNSC permanent seat, market access, block on UN listing of Pakistani terrorists and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
“As the cumulative impact of these developments began to be felt, the two nations agreed at Astana in 2017 not to allow differences to become disputes. At the same time, they also endeavoured to enhance the factors of stability in the relationship. Subsequent summits were largely in that direction and in fact affirmed that very consensus. But far from mitigating differences, the events of 2020 have actually put our relationship under exceptional stress,” asserted Jaishankar.
Since he was speaking at a conference of scholars on China, he also acknowledged the need to invest more deeply in the study of the Asian giant. “It is naturally to our advantage that there is solid expertise on China in India. Indeed, this very assumption has led us in the Ministry of External Affairs to set up a dedicated study centre on China. But that said, let me also accept that there is something much broader than a strategic requirement. As both India and China have grown in recent decades, it was inevitable that we would have much more to do with each other,” he added.