After a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Melbourne, where the India-China situation was discussed, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said China’s decision to amass troops along the Line of Actual Control was a violation of its written commitments. Global fears over tensions in Ukraine have risen as Russia and NATO stockpile soldiers along the border. Mr. Jaishankar dodged multiple queries on whether India and Western countries were on the “same page” on the Ukraine situation, where the US has declared Russia can invade “at any time,” and instead urged for dialogue to work.
“The crisis [at the LAC in Ladakh] arose as a result of China’s disobedience of written agreements with us not to stockpile soldiers along the border in 2020.” “I believe it is a subject of serious concern for the entire international community when a large country disregards written obligations,” Mr. Jaishankar told media during a press briefing.
Mr. Jaishankar also criticized a Chinese statement criticizing the Quad group of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, which met on Friday, as an “instrument to restrict China,” stating the Quad’s goal was “regional peace, prosperity, and stability.”
India was replying to China
In response to a Chinese Foreign Ministry official labeling the Quad ministerial meeting “a premeditated ploy to foment hostility,” he continued, “Our record, actions, and posture are fairly clear, and by criticizing them constantly, it does not make us less credible.” On a lighter note, Mr. Jaishankar said that anyone who doubted the Quad’s “positive” agenda should have seen him, Ms. Payne, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where the two cricket-playing nations India and Australia had taught baseball-enthusiasts from the US and Japan about the intricacies of spin bowling.
In terms of the bilateral agenda, Mr. Jaishankar applauded Ms. Payne’s offer of Australian scholarships and fellowships for Indian students as part of a new “Maitri initiative,” which will allow more students to study at Australian universities now that travel restrictions have been relaxed. Mr. Jaishankar’s statements on China’s failed promises are the most forceful in recent weeks on the situation at the LAC, where Chinese PLA troops have been invading land since April 2020.
In January, after the 14th round of border commander talks, Army chief General Manoj Naravane said that the talks were “positive and encouraging” and that “five or six” points of friction had already been resolved in talks, comments that were criticized because they left out areas like the Depsang plains and Demchok, where Chinese troops remain.