'Can disagree on many things, but ...': Jaishankar blames China for not observing written agreements

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday took a jibe at China and said that Beijing has failed to uphold longstanding written agreements with India.

In a recent speech at the Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo, Jaishankar held China accountable for the clashes at the borders in 2020, marking the first such incident in over four decades.

Jaishankar also discussed the changing world order and expressed his hope for a shift in Russia's direction towards the rest of the world. During his speech, the minister emphasized the reality of a significant power shift in the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting the accompanying shifts in capabilities, influence, and ambitions.

“There is a reality of a very big power shift in the Indo-Pacific. When there are very big shifts in capabilities and influence and presumably ambitions, then there are all the accompanying ambitions and strategic consequences.”

“Now, it's not an issue whether you like it or you don't like it. There's a reality out there, you have to deal with that reality,” he said.

However, he expressed disappointment in China's failure to observe written agreements with India, leading to a question mark over the stability of their relationship and intentions.

“Ideally, we would assume that everybody would say, okay, things are changing, but let's keep it as stable as we can. Unfortunately, that's not what we have seen in the last decade of our own experience in the case of China, for example, is between 1975 to 2020, which is really 45 years, there was no bloodshed on the border, and in 2020, changed,” he said.

“We can disagree on many things, but when a country actually sort of does not observe written agreements with a neighbour, I think, you have caused ... because ... then raises a question mark about the stability of the relationship and frankly, about intentions,” Jaishankar said in response to a question.

The clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 marked the most serious military conflict between the two countries in decades. India has consistently emphasized that peace in the border areas is essential for normalizing ties with China.

During an interactive session at a think tank in Delhi on March 2, the External Affairs Minister reiterated a similar stance. Stressing the importance of adherence to border management agreements by China, he emphasized the necessity for peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to foster better relations between India and China.

“China must adhere to border management pacts and there has to be peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for improvement in Sino-India ties,” Jaishankar had said.



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