New Delhi: Border talks between India and China have not been “halted” and both the countries “have made progress on key tension points in the last three years”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.
Addressing the media in the capital, the foreign minister highlighted the substantial headway made on pivotal tension areas between the two nations during the preceding three-year period. Jaishankar also conveyed that a forthcoming meeting concerning the border discussions is on the horizon.
“India-China border talks not halted, meeting will be held soon,” Jaishankar said.
India and China have time and again faced border disputes, and they date back to 1962. The most recent clash was in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brawl in the Galwan Valley.
To address the border issues, multiple rounds of military-level discussions have been conducted between the two countries. The 18th iteration of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting took place on April 23 this year at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side.
Jaishankar highlighted the past nine years of endeavours by the Narendra Modi-led government to significantly bolster border infrastructure, especially along the northern frontiers. He noted, “Post 2014, when there is a big push on border infrastructure, contestation and patrolling have increased from the Chinese side.”
Speaking on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Jaishankar said, “Kailash Mansarovar – Infrastructure is building up, there is a need for a tunnel there, Border Road Organisation (BRO) is working on and planning it. But, there is no signal from China on coming back to the old process.”
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