The situation along the disputed boundary between India and China will be reflected in the relations between the two nations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, as he hosted his counterparts from the South East Asian nations.
“So let me be clear that development of our ties (relations between India and China) has to be based on three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests,” Jaishankar said, sharing the podium with the foreign ministers of the South-East Asian Nations.
“The state of the border will be reflected on the state of the relationship (between India and China),” he said, thus categorically rejecting Beijing’s argument that China and India could restore normalcy in ties even before they could resolve the two-year-long military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
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His comment came a day after the second anniversary of the June 15, 2020 clash between the soldiers of the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval attended a virtual BRICS security meet convened by his counterpart in the Chinese Government, Yang Jiechi, on Wednesday.
Modi, himself, will virtually participate in the BRICS summit which will be hosted by the Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 24.
Jaishankar’s comment on Thursday apparently sent out a message to Beijing that India’s participation at plurilateral or multilateral events hosted or participated by China should not be construed as normalization of India-China relations even when the soldiers of the two nations remained engaged in the stand-off, which started along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020.
The external affairs minister hosted his counterparts from the South-East Asian nations for the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue relations. They agreed on the early commencement of the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) as well as enhanced utilization and effective implementation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) to achieve the full potential of ASEAN-India trade and economic partnership. They also agreed to strengthen physical and digital regional connectivity.
They took note of the proposals to hold the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers Informal Meeting in November 2022 and the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise later.