S JAISHANKAR SUGGESTS WAY FORWARD FOR CHINA TIES
CONTEXT
- After a year of exceptional stress in a relationship profoundly disturbed by the border crisis, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that recognition of “mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests” was key to repairing India-China relations.
BACKGROUND
- Even before the events of 2020, the India-China relationship had reflected “a duality of cooperation and competition”.
- While both sides had made a common cause on development and economic issues and common membership of plurilateral groups was a meeting point, there were divergences when it came to interests and aspirations.
- However, over the years, there has been no significant progress in arriving at a common understanding of the alignment of the LAC.Also, there has been an increasing construction of border infrastructure, especially on the Chinese side.
WAY FORWARD
- The minister suggested three mutuals and eight broad propositions as a way forward for the relationship.Mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests, he said were determining factors.
- The first proposition was that agreements already reached must be adhered to in their entirety, both in letter and spirit.
- Both sides also needed to strictly observe and respect the LAC, and any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo was completely unacceptable.
- Peace and tranquillity in border areas was the basis for the development of the relationship in other domains. If that was disturbed, he said, the rest of the relationship would be too.
- The other proposition was that while both remain committed to a multipolar world, they should recognise that a multipolar Asia was one of its essential constituents.
- While each state had its interests, concerns and priorities, sensitivities to them could not be one-sided and relations were reciprocal in nature. As rising powers, neither should ignore the other’s set of aspirations.
CONCLUSION
- The management of tensions in cooperative, peaceful manner is need of the time. New Delhi will require to sail through stormy waters and work for improving its diplomatic footprint throughout the globe