Paris/New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said he is “optimistic” of disengagement on the border with China, but added that India is “absolutely clear” that it will not agree to any change in the status quo, or any attempt to change the Line of Actual Control unilaterally “by one side”.
Answering questions after his talk at the French Institute of International Relations think tank, the EAM said that disengagement is presently the single goal, and only after achieving that can one talk about de-escalation of forces. Asked if he was optimistic of disengagement between the Indian and Chinese forces on the border, he said: “I am optimistic of disengagement with China. I am optimistic temperamentally.
In diplomacy it is necessary to be optimistic as that is the only way you never give up.” He added that the two sides have had 13 rounds of discussions by their military commanders and as a result made “significant headway” in many of the friction points. “Some friction points remain to be resolved, … We are absolutely clear that we will not agree to any change in the status quo, any attempt to change the Line of Actual Control unilaterally by one side”, in a reference to China.
“So however complex it is, however long it takes, however difficult it is, that clarity is what guides us; And other than optimism it is very important to also have perseverance, … And we will carry on with this, and that disengagement is right now the goal and only when that happens we can start talking about de-escalation.” On Myanmar, asked why India was continuing to engage with the junta, he said: “In our region, India is not just the biggest democracy but a well established democracy and has always been supportive of democracies”, and gave the example of the creation of Bangladesh. He said that India played a key role in supporting the democratic forces in Bangladesh that led to its creation, though many western countries were ranged against it.
“All democratic countries have not always supported all democracies”, he quipped, in reference to the US not supporting the creation of Bangladesh at the time. He said India has worked with Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar to strengthen democracy, but has been very clear that the democratic transition should not be derailed. He said as a neighbour, with a long land boundary with Myanmar, there are challenges, including the presence of insurgents on the border, and referred to the killing of a senior Indian army officer and his family in Manipur last year by insurgents. He said that besides the security problem on the border, India is also facing a problem of Covid on the border, and also a refugee problem, and there are food shortages in that country.
“We believe that it is unavoidable to engage the regime currently on matters which are necessary for our interests, our well being and for theirs, as well where humanitarian demands are concerned,” he added. He said India has supplied vaccines, food, and has discussed how to secure the border and has been very supportive of the Asean initiative. On Afghanistan, he said it is a very complicated issue. “These are the dilemmas of international relations, it is not easy to make tough choices… Do you allow your position on the Taliban to come in the way of offering support to the people who are suffering deeply In Afghanistan and Myanmar,” and added that “Many of the countries who urge pragmatism and realism in Afghanistan have a very different view of Myanmar”, in reference to the West’s divergent stand on the two countries.
“So clearly what your interests are, are often stronger than what your beliefs are,” he quipped. Asked to comment on Ukraine and Taiwan, he said while Europe has very clear boundaries that is not the case with Asia. “There are interests at play in every region, and at the end of the day policies are some kind of balance between beliefs and interests. “So, Taiwan and Ukraine both are products of very complex histories of that particular region; in Ukraine a lot of it derives from post Soviet politics, the expansion of NATO, the dynamics between Russia, and Europe, and Russia and the West, so they would be the variables in that.”
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
