'Next priority will be...': EAM Jaishankar briefs Parliament on India-China ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India remains "committed to engaging with China through bilateral discussions to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for a boundary settlement."

Briefing the Lok Sabha on India-China ties as well as disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Jaishakar said that bilateral ties between the two countries have been "abnormal" since 2020 when "peace and tranquillity in the border areas were disturbed as a result of Chinese actions."

"Recent developments that reflect our continuous diplomatic engagement since then have set our ties in the direction of some improvement," he said.
Addressing Lok Sabha, he shared with members the expectations regarding the direction of ties with China shortly.

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"Our relationship had progressed in many domains but was negatively affected by recent events. We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas is a prerequisite for the development of our ties. In the coming days, we will be discussing both de-escalation as well as effective management of our activities in the border areas," Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister said that "the conclusion of the disengagement phase now allows us to consider other aspects of our bilateral engagement in a calibrated manner, keeping our national security interests first and foremost."

He said that in his recent meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, an understanding was reached that the Special Representatives and the Foreign Secretary level mechanisms will be convening soon.

Jaishankar said, "The immediate priority was to ensure disengagement from friction points so that there would be no further untoward incidents or clashes. This has been fully achieved. The next priority will be to consider de-escalation, which would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments."

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The union minister also recalled the 2020 face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and affirmed, "Members would recall that the amassing of a large number of troops by China along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020 resulted in face-offs with our forces at several points. The situation also led to the disruption of patrolling activities. It is to the credit of our armed forces that despite logistical challenges and the then prevailing Covid situation, they were able to counter-deploy rapidly and effectively."

He noted that "The House is well aware of the circumstances leading up to the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020. In the months thereafter, we were addressing a situation that had not only seen fatalities for the first time in 45 years but also a turn of events serious enough for heavy weaponry to be deployed near the LAC. While a determined counter-deployment of adequate capability was the Government's immediate response, there was also the imperative of a diplomatic effort to defuse these heightened tensions and restore peace and tranquillity."

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