India, China engaging on diplomatic, military sides for some sort of resolution: MEA

NEW DELHI: India, while reiterating its long-standing position on China, said the two countries continue to engage on the diplomatic and military sides for some sort of a resolution.

"India's position on China is very well known. It is a relationship, which is not normal, but we have had dialogues both on the military side and on the diplomatic side in October and November. And the idea is that we engage so that we can have some sort of resolution," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing on Thursday.

Jaiswal said he wanted to pull out what was discussed "in these meetings that we had in October and November so that I can give you a little more details".

He said, "The commander-level meeting was held in October where there was an agreement to maintain momentum of dialogue and negotiations through relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms. And they also committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity on the ground at the border areas"

He stated further that India and China also had the twentieth meeting of the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs).

"This is at the diplomatic level. We had our joint secretary in East Asia participating there. They had a very good in-depth discussion, constructive discussion, frank discussion and they looked at all the proposals to resolve remaining issues and achieve complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh," he added.

He said the two countries agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas, ensure a stable situation on the ground and avoid any untoward incident.

"And then thereafter, the two sides agreed to continue the dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and hold the next round of senior commanders meeting at the earliest to achieve the above objective," he said.

The 28th meeting of the WMCC was held on Thursday. The Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs led the Indian delegation and the Director-General, Boundary and Oceanic Affairs, of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation, the MEA informed.

The two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas and engaged in an open, constructive, and in-depth discussion of proposals to resolve the remaining issues and achieve complete disengagement in Eastern Ladakh, the MEA stated in a press release.

They further agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas, ensure a stable situation on the ground, and avoid any untoward incidents. The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and hold the next round of the Senior Commanders' Meeting at the earliest to achieve the above objective, the MEA added.

Earlier, India and China held the 20th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Chushul as part of the ongoing efforts for overall disengagement and de-escalation to resolve the stand-off in eastern Ladakh.

The meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on October 9-10.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides exchanged views in a frank, open, and constructive manner for an early and mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector, in accordance with the guidance provided by the national leadership of the two countries, and building on the progress made in the last round of Corps Commanders' Meeting held on 13-14 August 2023.

The MEA stated that both sides agreed to maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through the relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms.

"They also committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas in the interim," it added.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday reflected on India's relationship with China, while shedding light on historical nuances, he provided a perspective on how a more Bharat-centric approach could have shaped the nation's view of its ties with China differently.

"If we had been more Bharat, we would have had a less rosy view of our relationship with China," Jaishankar said, delving into India's historical perspectives on its relationships with China. In an address at the launch of his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in the national capital, Jaishankar said,

"Regarding the three countries that I posited, Pakistan, China, and the US, were actually three very debated relationships in our early years." The EAM referred to historical records, citing exchanges of notes and letters between the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in China.

He emphasised the starkly differing views expressed by the two leaders, shedding light on the complexities of India's early stance on its relationship with China. "This is not something which is my fantasy. There is a kind of a record out there. There's an exchange of notes, letters between Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru on China, and they have very starkly differing views about it," the EAM added.