India's relations with China not normal - Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar -

Banavali: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has said that the situation on the LAC between India and China was stable. During the SCO meeting, the Chinese Foreign Minister claimed their country’s relations with India were stable. ‘India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed. We have to take the disengagement process forward’, the External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India has warned. EAM Jaishankar informed in the press conference that he had explicitly discussed the issue with China’s Foreign Minister.

The Foreign Ministers of India and China held bilateral talks during the SCO meeting. During this discussion, the Chinese Foreign Minister explained the need to ‘draw experience and lessons from history’. Also, the Chinese Foreign Minister expressed the hope that both countries should take their strategic cooperation to a new height, considering the long-term interests. While replying to it, India’s Foreign Minister has made China aware that the relationship cannot be normal by maintaining the deployment of the army on the LAC. In addition, EAM Jaishankar clarified in the press conference that he had raised this issue in the meeting with China’s Foreign Minister and has also been saying the same publicly.

Moreover, all the major countries worldwide insist on increasing cooperation with India at economic and strategic levels. Competition has started in the United States and European countries to get India’s market. Due to the investment of Indian companies, lakhs of people in the US and Europe have begun getting employment. This has led to a huge increase in India’s significance at the international level, and there have been indications of the emergence of the Indian rupee as a global currency. In such a situation, China, which has benefited from India’s commercial generosity for many years, seems to have shot itself in the foot by starting the conflict of Galwan, which has adversely affected the relations between the two countries.

In 2020, China made a blunder in predicting India’s reaction after the Galwan clash, reminding India of its defeat in the 1962 war. At this time, China claimed it would make India suffer a humiliating defeat even more than in 1962. After this, there has been a wave of anger against China in India. India made China aware of the consequences by banning Chinese apps and products. Furthermore, the Indian industry was also taking rapid steps to reduce its dependence on China.

Therefore, although India currently imports a large amount from China, there have been signs that China will lose the Indian market in the future. Due to this reason, frightened China has been creating an impression that its relations with India were normal. But India’s Foreign Minister and Defence Minister warn that ties with China have been strained. India warns China that peace and harmony will not be established unless China completely withdraws its army from LAC in Ladakh; the relations between the two countries cannot be normal until this happens. After the SCO meeting, EAM Jaishankar again made China aware.

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