New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday made it clear to visiting Chinese Defence Minister Gen Li Shangfu that a resolution of border tensions was a must as Chinese violation of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) had eroded the base of bilateral relations.
Singh, who met the Chinese Defence Minister on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting for 55 minutes, also underlined that all issues relating to the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments.
Also attending the meeting was the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, who was instrumental in reinforcing deployments along the LAC as the Eastern Army Commander.
The bilateral meeting came in the backdrop of border tensions that enter their fourth year next month.
The Defence Minister “categorically conveyed that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders”, an official statement said.
Singh reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation, the statement said.
It added that the two ministers had frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas as well as bilateral relations.
Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that Singh categorically stated that military cooperation between the two countries can progress only if peace and tranquillity are established at the border.
He said that after disengagement, there should be movement towards de-escalation and expressed hope for positive response.
The Defence Minister told his Chinese counterpart that India wants to improve relations with China but it can happen only after peace and tranquillity are restored at the border, they added.
Sources said that India made it clear that the onus was on China to bring the bilateral relations back on track.
While both India and China have disengaged from the northern and southern banks of the Pangong Tso, Gogra and the Hot Springs areas since the stand-off began in May 2020, tensions remain in Depsang Plains and Demchok.
Both sides have failed to make any headway with regard to Depsang and Demchok, where tensions predate the ongoing stand-off.
Moreover, while troops have disengaged at several locations along the LAC, they continue to remain deployed in forward areas, along with their armoured and artillery equipment.
India has sought de-escalation, which would entail the return of all additional troops and equipment in forward areas to their pre-April 2020 positions.
The Chinese defence minister is a key person in the Chinese military setup and has overseen several key projects and is the first from its Strategic Support Force (SSF) to be part of the country’s Central Military Commission — a body headed by President Xi Jinping and which oversees the People’s Liberation Army, the People’s Armed Police, and the Militia of China.
The SSF was created in 2015 as part of plans to restructure military management to focus on space, cyber, political and electronic warfare.
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