Keeping troops deployed on a large scale on LAC is not in the interest of both China and India, Jaishankar’s advice to China on border dispute

With an estimated 50,000-60,000 troops deployed for nearly four years on both sides of the India-China border in eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the situation is “very tense and dangerous” and is not in the common interest of the two countries. There should not be so many forces on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).Jaishankar was speaking at the Express Adda held in New Delhi on Monday evening, where he was interacting with Anant Goenka, executive director of The Indian Express Group, and C Raja Mohan, contributing editor of The Indian Express.

Responding to a question from Zhou Yongsheng, political advisor of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, Who asked how China and India, as “important neighbors”, can find common interests and become partners rather than rivals? Jaishankar said: “I think it is in our common interest that we should not have so many forces on the LAC, it is in our common interest that we abide by the agreements that we have made. And today, it is not It is only in the general interest, I believe it is not even in the interest of China. They said “The stress hasn’t worked out well for either of us. So the sooner we get this resolved, I really think it’s better for both of us. And I’m still committed to finding a fair, just outcome. But which respects agreements, which recognizes the LAC, and does not try to change the status quo.

When asked whether the present government with more seats (in Parliament) would become more empowered to talk on the issue, Jaishankar said: “For me, the fairness of India’s territory and border resolution has nothing to do with how many seats it wins. Either it’s a good deal or not a good deal. The issue today is not whether you have a political majority or not. The issue is whether you have a fair deal on the table.” The minister said he is in touch with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, whom he has known for many years, on many of these issues. He said, “We are in constant touch. Even the morning after the Galwan incident, he was the person I spoke to,” he said, adding that the current situation at the LAC was “very tense and dangerous”.

The Express Adda was attended by German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann, Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, Indonesian Ambassador Ina Krishnamurthy, Nepalese Ambassador Shankar Prasad Sharma, Bhutanese Ambassador Major General Vetsop Namgyal and several ambassadors and diplomats from Mongolia, Slovenia, Estonia, Chile, Spain. During the discussion that lasted for about two hours, Jaishankar also touched upon several other foreign policy issues, including India’s relations with Pakistan and where it is headed.