Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar revealed on Saturday that the situation between India and China in the Ladakh region of the Himalayas is fragile and dangerous, with armed forces from both sides deployed in close proximity in certain areas. At least 24 soldiers were killed in clashes between the two sides in the region in mid-2020, but rounds of diplomatic and military talks have eased the situation.
Violence erupted in the eastern sector of the undemarcated border between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants in December, but it did not result in any fatalities. Jaishankar stated at a forum for India Today magazine: "The situation is still, in my opinion, very fragile because there are places where our forces are heavily deployed close to each other, so in terms of military assessment, the situation is very serious."
He added that India-China relations cannot return to normal until the border dispute is resolved in accordance with the preliminary agreement made in September 2020 with his Chinese counterpart. He continued: "The Chinese need to honor what was agreed upon, which they find difficult."
He noted that despite the withdrawal of forces from both sides from several areas, discussions continue regarding unresolved issues. He further said: "We made it clear to the Chinese that we cannot accept a breach of peace and tranquility, and you cannot violate the agreement while wishing for the rest of the relations to continue as if nothing happened. That cannot go on."
Jaishankar concluded: "The G20 should not just be a discussion club or an arena for the Northern Hemisphere. All global concerns must be accommodated. We have already made this point firmly." The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has overshadowed two ministerial meetings of the G20 in India over the past three weeks.
