India warns China against any bid to establish 'new normals' along LAC

Beijing has of late been claiming that the mutual withdrawal of troops marks the restoration of normalcy

India on Tuesday not-so-subtly warned China against making any attempt to establish a ‘new normal’ along the disputed boundary between the two nations.

“The continuation of the current impasse will not benefit either India or China,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, adding, “New normals of posture will inevitably lead to new normals of responses.” He was speaking at a conference held by the Centre for Contemporary China Studies in New Delhi.

His comment on the continued impasse in India-China relations was indicative of New Delhi’s position that the stand-off between the armed forces of the two nations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh was not yet over.

Beijing has of late been claiming that the mutual withdrawal of troops by the Chinese PLA and the Indian Army from Patrolling Point 15 (Gogra-Hotsprings area) last month marked the restoration of normalcy along the LAC. China’s claim appeared to be an attempt to subtly build up pressure on India to accept the “new normal” in Depsang and Demchok areas, where the Chinese PLA continues to block the Indian Army’s access to several patrolling points.

The stand-off had started in April-May 2020 when China had flouted its 1993 and 1996 agreements with India and deployed a large number of troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. India too had deployed additional troops to respond to China’s bid to change the status quo along the disputed boundary between the two nations.

Also Read | China's party congress promises continuity, not change

The relations between New Delhi and Beijing hit a new low over the past two-and-a-half years.

“The last few years have been a period of serious challenge, both for the relationship (between India and China) and for the prospects of the continent,” said Jaishankar. “It is the willingness to take a long-term view of their ties that the two countries must display today.”

The Indian Army is likely to insist on the withdrawal of the Chinese PLA’s troops from Depsang and Demchok areas of eastern Ladakh when the senior commanders of the two sides meet next to hold the 17th round of negotiations.

The PLA troops deployed in Depsang, well inside the territory of India along the LAC with China, are still continuing to block the Indian Army’s access to Patrolling Points 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13. A face-off is also continuing in Demchok.

Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India’s policy in its engagement with China in the past had exhibited a “remarkable degree of self-restraint”, which led to the expectation that “others could have a veto over its choices”. “That period, however, is now behind us. The ‘new era’ is apparently not just for China,” said the External Affairs Minister, sending out a message to Beijing.