External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar spoke about the 2020 India-China standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Galwan and said the deployment of forces today, in 2024, has become “abnormal”. Speaking at a Viksit Bharat programme in Kolkata, West Bengal, Jaishankar said India responded to the standoff by deploying more forces along the border with China.
He said, “After 1962, Rajiv Gandhi went to China in 1988 in many ways that were the key step towards normalising the ties (with China)...there was a clear understanding that we will discuss our boundary differences but we will maintain peace and tranquility on the border. And the rest of the relationship will carry on.”
What has changed now? Jaishankar said, “What changed now is what happened in 2020. In 2020, the Chinese, in violation of multiple agreements, brought a large number of forces to our border and they did it at the time when we were under Covid lockdown."
To the Galwan clash, "India responded by counter deployment of forces", he said. Four years since the clash, that left 20 soldiers dead, forces have been deployed ahead of the normal base positions at Galwan Valley.
“We responded by counter-deploying our forces. Today, there is a very abnormal deployment along the LAC. Given the tension between the two countries... As Indian citizens, none of us should disregard the security of the country...it is today a challenge,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying. Related: Chinese soldiers clash with Indian shepherds in Ladakh's Kakjung Area | Watch Video
The Union minister said there is also an economic challenge to it, which, he said, was due to "neglect of the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in the previous years". "Why is Indian business buying so much from China... Is it good to be dependent on some other source?" he asked.
"Countries feel today that many core businesses must stay within the country. The supply chain should be shorter and reliable... In the sensitive sectors, we will be careful... There is a national security obligation," Jaishankar said.
(With agency inputs)
