External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar recently stated that China disregarded its border pacts with India, dating a shadow on the bilateral ties, emphasising that a lasting relationship cannot be a one-way streak and there has to be mutual respect.
Dr Jaishankar, who was in Brazil for his six-day visit to South America aimed at boosting overall ties with the region, made the above remarks during his interaction with the Indian diaspora on 20 August. While responding to a question on the Sino-Indian ties which have entered uncharted waters, Jaishankar underlined that India and China have agreements going back to the 1990s which prohibit bringing troops to the border area.
"They (Chinese) have disregarded that. You know what happened in the Galwan Valley a few years ago. That problem has not been resolved and that is clearly casting a shadow," Dr Jaishankar said.
Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a prolonged standoff in Eastern Ladakh. The two sides have so far held 16 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff which erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.
Dr Jaishankar, who served as the Indian ambassador to China from 2009-2013 said that a relationship cannot be a one-way street and mutual respect has to be there in order to sustain it. "They are our neighbours and everybody wants to get along with their neighbour... But everybody wants to get along with their neighbour on reasonable terms. I must respect you and you must respect me," Dr Jaishankar said. “Relationships are a two-way street. A lasting relationship cannot be a one-way street. We need that mutual respect and mutual sensitivity,” he said, adding that it is no secret “we are going through a very difficult phase”.
Earlier, in Bangkok, EAM stated that the relationship between India and China is going through an "extremely difficult phase" after what Beijing has done at the border and emphasised that the Asian Century will not happen if the two neighbours could not join hands.
In order to shape the Asian century which EAM emphasised earlier as well, it is necessary that the two countries get along and cooperate on a range of issues to shape the new world order.
