Presence of large number of troops on border is abnormal: India snubs China

New Delhi: India on Thursday snubbed China for claiming that the situation on the border is “stable”, and stated firmly that restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas is mandatory for restoration of normalcy in bilateral ties, and the presence of a large number of Chinese troops in the border is an abnormality.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, asked about comments by a Chinese diplomat who had called the border situation “stable”, said in response:

“We have made our position clear on this matter, even the External Affairs Minister has spoken. Restoration of normalcy in our relationship will require restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas, which has been disturbed since April 2020.”

“As EAM said, the presence of a large number of troops there in contravention of agreements, is an abnormality.”

“We have been holding discussions on the diplomatic and military tracks, but till such time the situation in the border sees a return to peace and tranquility we cannot foresee normalcy in the overall relationship,” he said.

Speaking in Kolkata a few days ago, Minister Counsellor Chen Jianjun of the Chinese Embassy in India termed the border situation between the two countries “stable” and that the earlier situation of “emergency control” at the border was a matter of the past. He also said that both countries have been in touch through different channels, bringing the border situation to “normalized management and control” at the earliest.

On March 2, during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar had conveyed that the state of the bilateral relations was “abnormal” and beset by “real problems that need to be looked at”, especially the issue of peace and tranquility in the border areas.

India’s response today on the border also comes two days after it rejected outright China’s attempt at “renaming” 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, and stated that Arunachal Pradesh has been and will always remain an inalienable part of India.

Asked about the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stating that the move to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, is “within China’s sovereign rights”, the MEA spokesperson reiterated the Indian statement issued two days ago.

“This is not the first time China is attempting it, and we have strongly rejected these attempts. We have stated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and attempting to assign invented names will not change the situation on the ground or the reality,” he said.