LAC Stand-Off: China Puts All The Blame On India for Confrontation

China has once again absolved itself of all responsibility for the military stand-off with India and blamed New Delhi for the confrontation in eastern Ladakh last summer.

"Wang Yi pointed out that the rights and wrongs of what happened in the China-India border area last year are very clear and the responsibility does not lie with the Chinese side," a statement issued by the Chinese embassy after talks between foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his counterpart Wang Yi in Dushanbe said. The Indian and Chinese ministers were in the Tajikistan capital to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Wang recalled their Moscow meeting in September 2020, after which both sides pulled back their troops from the Pangong Tso and Galwan sectors. The Chinese maintain that since the de-escalation, the situation along the LAC around Ladakh has improved.

But here lies the catch. The two sides have different perspectives on the issue. New Delhi wants China to pull out from all the other sectors as well, while Beijing prefers the military commanders to negotiate disengagement from the remaining areas. Meaning, let that be on the backburner and go ahead with normal diplomatic and business ties, while the military deals with the situation on the ground in Ladakh.

India has repeatedly said it cannot be business as usual till both armies are back to the positions they held before the PLA incursions across the LAC. There is no time limit from the Chinese point of view. While India is sticking to the point that the status-quo has to be restored before relations can get back to normal.

“The two sides must place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, expand the positive momentum of bilateral cooperation and create favourable conditions for resolving differences through negotiation. We must consolidate the results of disengagement that have been achieved, strictly abide by the agreement and common understanding of the two sides, and refrain from taking unilateral actions in sensitive and controversial areas, in order to avoid any recurrence of tensions due to misunderstanding and miscalculation,’’ the Chinese statement said.

Wang Yi also acknowledged that “China-India relations still stay at a low level, which is not in the interest of either side.’’  Jaishankar has also acknowledged this. But for India, the red line for resuming normal ties with China is complete disengagement.

As neighbours India and China must co-exist in harmony and help each other succeed, Wang Yi said at the meeting. “China's strategic assessment of China-India relations has not changed. China and India pose no threat but offer development opportunities to each other. The two countries are partners rather than rivals or enemies. The principles of China-India relations should still be mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and mutual respect for each other's core interests,’’ the news release said.

The Chinese foreign minister also said that both countries shoulder responsibilities for their own regions as well as world peace and prosperity. So, India and China should pay attention to the common strategic interests.

China’s increasingly aggressive moves to establish itself as Asia’s paramount power have led to nervousness all around. The India, US, Australia, and Japan formation, popularly known as the quad, is a result of China’s growing bad behaviour in the region. There was once talk of China and India together shaping the Asian century. All that has vanished as China continues to nibble at India’s territory.