Jaishankar: We will not permit China to change the LAC

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated on Saturday that India will not permit China to unilaterally change the status quo or the Line of Actual Control while claiming that the nation had successfully resisted the Chinese at the LAC in eastern Ladakh through a massive logistical effort.

Speaking about the dispute over the eastern Ladakh border, Jaishankar claimed that China made the decision to concentrate troops on the Line of Actual Control in defiance of agreements made in 1993 and 1996 not to do so, and added that its goal was evidently to unilaterally alter the LAC.

In spite of being in the middle of COVID-19 at the time, Jaishankar said at a CNN-News18 town hall, “We were actually able to counter them at the LAC through an enormous logistical effort, which I think sometimes has not been adequately recognised by people, by analysts, even in our politics in this country.”

He elaborated on the argument by stating that some individuals have a skewed perception of the border and that troops are often stationed in depth areas rather than at the patrolling point.

“As a result, they (China) made novel forward deployments, and we (the United States) counter-deployed by making similar forward deployments. Because they were too close together, the rules of engagement were not being followed, and exactly what we suspect happened at Galwan two years ago, you ended up with a highly complex mixture that was quite dangerous. There were casualties when it turned violent “said Jaishankar.

“We have since been in a scenario where we negotiate the points of tension. Many of those points of friction have been settled, therefore yes, you have produced results “said he.

“There are places where we withdrew and they withdrew. Keep in mind that compared to where we were before April, both of us are much ahead. Is everything finished? No. Have we achieved meaningful progress? In actuality, yes “replied Jaishankar.

“Work is difficult. Although it is a very patient process, we are absolutely clear that we will not tolerate any unilateral attempts by China to alter the LAC or the status quo “said he.

We are absolutely clear on this, and I don’t care how long it takes, how many rounds we have, or how difficult the negotiations are, Jaishankar added.

He added that the discussions with China are still ongoing.