Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar has said that India and China should find “some kind of equilibrium” or reach a common understanding point to establish a steady relationship.
The foreign minister’s remarks came against the backdrop of fresh clashes between India and China in the eastern part of Ladakh. Indian Army announced on Monday that China has made another “provocative” attempt to change the status quo at Line of Actual Control (LAC).
However, Jaishankar, while addressing the online United States-India Strategic Partnership Forum, didn’t make any reference to the ongoing tensions.
While answering the questions related to China’s rise, he said India remains “cognizant” of China’s rise but also stressed upon the fact that India’s rise has also been a global story.
Talking about the long history and culture of both India and China, the minister said,
“If you have two countries, two societies with a billion people each with the history and culture that they have, it is very important that they reach some kind of understanding or equilibrium between them.”
Mr. Jaishankar further remarks that Indian is rising at its own pace. While giving subtle hints to China, he mentioned that if China asserts his influence in areas “we have not seen before”, they would also see India asserting in areas they (China) have not seen before.
When questioned about China’s ties with Pakistan, Jaishankar said that it is not something new for them as their ties go back to the early 1960s.
“Aspects of it have been of concern to us before… that is something we factor in our relationship with both countries,” he added.
Col. Aman Anand, the Spokesperson of the Army confirmed the PLA troops, on the intervening night of August 29 and 30, violated the LAC. The Chinese troops moved towards the southern part of Pangong Tso lake in order to occupy the area. However, they failed to do so.
Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry has rejected all these accusations of transgression. Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson mentioned that there’s a close diplomatic communication going on between India and China.
