Respect LAC for normal relations, NSA tells China

India has reiterated to China that ensuring “peace and tranquillity” and “respect” for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are essential for normalising bilateral relations.

NSA Ajit Doval conveyed New Delhi’s concerns during a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs’ meeting. Doval’s statements on the ongoing military standoff along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh align with those made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his meetings with Wang Yi in July in Kazakhstan and Laos. Jaishankar, currently in Geneva, Switzerland, said at an event that the Galwan clashes in June 2020 had severely hit the India-China relations, noting, “One cannot have violence at the border and then say the rest of the relationship is insulated from it.” On the Doval-Wang Yi meeting, the MEA stated, “The NSA conveyed that peace and tranquillity in border areas and respect for the LAC are essential for normalcy in bilateral relations.” The MEA emphasised that both sides must fully abide by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached in the past by the two governments.

Doval and Wang Yi agreed to work with urgency and redouble their efforts to achieve complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the LAC. The MEA said the meeting provided an opportunity to both sides to review the recent efforts for resolution of the remaining issues.