It is a natural part of India… Jaishankar dismissed China’s claim on Arunachal Pradesh as ‘absurd’ at South Asian Studies Institute

Singapore. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday dismissed China’s repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as “absurd” and said the border state is a “natural part of India”. In perhaps his first public comment on China’s frequent claims on Arunachal and China’s opposition to visits by Indian political leaders to the state, Jaishankar said this was not a new issue. “This is not a new issue,” he said in response to a question on the Arunachal issue after delivering a lecture at the ‘South Asian Studies Institute’ of the National University of Singapore (NUS) here. I mean China has claimed, it has reiterated its claim. These claims were absurd from the beginning and remain absurd even today.”

Jaishankar is here on a three-day visit. He emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is “a natural part of India”. “So, I think we have been very clear on this and we have had a consistent position,” he said. And I think you know that this is something that is part of the ongoing border talks.” Jaishankar, in response to another question, said that the challenge for India today is that the two emerging powers, which are neighbors There are also countries, how to find a sustainable balance between them. He said both countries have a history and population that set them apart from the rest of the world. “So there is a very complex challenge,” he said.

Jaishankar said that in 2020, when China chose to do something on the border, it was a big surprise for India and its move was a complete violation of the agreement reached between the two countries. The External Affairs Minister was referring to the eastern Ladakh border standoff that arose on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area. The eastern Ladakh standoff has brought bilateral relations to a standstill on all fronts except trade. India is pressurizing China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to withdraw troops from Depsang and Demchok. India says that normal relations with China cannot be restored as long as the situation on the border remains abnormal. “Instead of strengthening the foundation to create balance, they (the Chinese side) worsened the situation,” he said.

Jaishankar said that it may take time to resolve the border dispute. “This is a very complex issue,” he said. We are not talking about resolving the border dispute. We are talking about maintaining peace and stability on the border.” Asked whether Singapore could help China and India normalize their relations, he said New Delhi would deal directly with Beijing. . He said, “We have no such problem with China. I am in touch with my counterpart (Wang Yi).” He also mentioned that India and China have embassies at each other. Jaishankar said that there is no issue of misunderstanding between India and China. Both the countries have signed an agreement on the border dispute. “It worked until 2020,” he said. So why don’t we sit down and find ways to continue the peace and stability that has been maintained for so long.” He also mentioned that no person was killed on the border from 1975 to 2020. In this way, the agreement worked for 45 years.

Jaishankar said, “Until we bring stability on the border, maintaining balance, building relationships, it is illogical for me to expect to do more things because it will naturally create a lot of mistrust.” Also did not give a direct answer on whether India has sent 10,000 troops from its western border to the eastern border. He said, “There are times when we have better things to do than deny what people say.” In response to a question from a Singaporean journalist, he said, “There may be a report and No, which may or may not be true. I think no government confirms the movement of troops, at least not to any person from a foreign newspaper.

Jaishankar’s comments come a few days after the Foreign Ministry rejected the statement of China’s Defense Ministry. The Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement, “We took note of the comments of the spokesperson of the Defense Ministry of China, in which absurd claims have been made regarding the territory of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.” Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not provide any validity to such a claim. Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programs and infrastructure projects.” Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry had objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Arunachal Pradesh.

Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.

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