‘S. Jaishankar may have a bilateral with his Chinese counterpart’.
NEW DELHI: With China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang expected to make his first visit to New Delhi on 1-2 March for the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting, India is gearing up to give the Chinese minister a strong message over Beijing’s aggression and unlawful action along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). “External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar may have a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of G-20 meeting, during which the Chinese minister will be given a clear message that the normal relations between India and China cannot be restored without peace, tranquility and normalcy at LAC,’’ a source told The Sunday Guardian. Date and time for the bilateral is in the process of being finalised, sources said.
Indian diplomats in meeting with their Chinese counterparts accompanying the foreign minister will unequivocally speak out against the behaviour of Chinese troops along the borders. “There is evidence that the Chinese were the first to violate bilateral agreements by massing troops along the LAC. This evidence has already been shared with the Chinese side. China’s foreign minister will be reminded of the same when he comes to Delhi and holds meeting with diplomats and Jaishankar,” a source said, adding, “He will be told that the tense situation in the border areas is solely due to the fact that China has not observed agreements on the border management,” a source pointed out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to meet the Chinese foreign minister in what will be a blunt message to Beijing. PM Modi will however meet the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval may meet the Chinese foreign minister. Doval will also give Qin Gang a blunt message on the border row, a source said.
That the written agreements were not observed by the PLA is clearly on the records available with us, which have been shared with the global community as well, said diplomats who are involved in preparations ahead of the visits of Blinken, Lavrov and Qin Gang. “Entire global community is aware that despite agreements on not unilaterally altering LAC, the Chinese side tried to unilaterally do that. This is something that the Chinese minister cannot deny,” an official told this newspaper.
India has already set the tone for the meeting between Jaishankar and Gang by rejecting Beijing’s claim that normalcy had already returned to the LAC. During a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) which took place in Beijing recently, the Indian side categorically rejected the claim made by China that everything is normal at LAC. “The situation is far from normal, and a lot has to be done by the Chinese side to restore the status quo ante of April-2020,” diplomats said. Qin took over as Chinese foreign minister on 30 December last. In January, Qin had said that Beijing seeks to improve ties with New Delhi. To any such proposal and intent, India’s reaction has always been that China must first restore normalcy and peace along the LAC by restoring the status quo ante of April-2020.
Qin will be attending the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting hosted by Jaishankar. He has sought to hold bilateral talks with the EAM. The conclave will also provide the Indian side a good opportunity to give a message on respecting sovereignty and integrity of other countries, sources said.