India on Thursday reacted to the brand new Chinese overseas minister Qin Gang’s latest assertion in a US journal on the border standoff alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and mentioned that guaranteeing peace and tranquillity within the border areas is crucial for the event of the New Delhi-Beijing relationship.

Gang just lately mentioned that each India and China are keen to ease the scenario on the border and collectively keep peace alongside the border. He made the feedback in an op-ed article titled How China Sees the World for the American journal National Interest, 4 days earlier than his promotion from Chinese envoy to the US to the nation’s overseas minister.

In his weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi mentioned, “You are conscious of India’s long-standing place – that guaranteeing peace and tranquillity within the border areas is crucial for the event of our relationship.”

“So too is the observance of bilateral agreements and refraining from unilateral attempts to change the status quo of the boundary,” he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

India has been sustaining that the connection can’t be regular except there’s peace within the border space.

Gang additionally remained coy relating to the South China Sea dispute and mentioned that each one events are “consulting on a code of conduct” which will lead to “meaningful rules” for the area.

“In the South China Sea, the established order is that regional international locations are consulting on a code of conduct that can lead to significant and efficient guidelines for the area. As to the border points between China and India, the established order is that either side are keen to ease the scenario and collectively shield peace alongside their borders,” Gang wrote.

When asked about some reports of China allegedly carrying out constructions in areas claimed by the Indian side, the MEA spokesperson said, “I have a lot of faith in our armed forces to defend our territory.”

He mentioned discussions had been underway between India and China by army and diplomatic channels. These are the mechanisms by which our issues about Chinese actions are conveyed, he added.

Bagchi mentioned either side are additionally focusing on getting again to a level of normalcy and de-escalation and disengagement on the border.

On January 3, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had mentioned that China didn’t observe agreements with India on border points and that’s the reason there’s a “tense scenario” between the two neighbours. He pointed out as he explained how Beijing tried to “unilaterally change LAC”.

During an interview to Austria’s nationwide broadcaster ORF, Jaishankar had mentioned that India had agreements with China not to mass power within the border areas. However, China didn’t observe these agreements, “which is why we’ve the presently tense scenario that we do”, he said while responding to a question.

“We had an agreement not to unilaterally change the Line of Control (LAC), which they (China) have tried to unilaterally do,” he mentioned.

Indian and Chinese troops clashed alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) within the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9 and the face-off resulted in “minor accidents to a number of personnel from either side”, in accordance to the Indian Army.

It was the first clash between the Indian and Chinese armies since the fierce face-off in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The ties between the two countries froze since then with India making it clear that peace and tranquillity at the border is the sine qua non for the overall development of bilateral ties.

The two countries have held 17 rounds of talks so far to resolve the standoff.

(with inputs from PTI)

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