India remains committed to engaging with China to arrive at a fair and mutually acceptable framework for boundary settlement, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, noting that India-China relations cannot be normal in the absence of a clearly articulated approach.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, the minister said India-China ties have been abnormal since 2020 when peace and tranquillity in border areas were disturbed due to Chinese actions.
"The amassing of troops by China in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020 resulted in face-offs at a number of points. After the Galwan Valley clashes, we were addressing a situation that not only saw fatalities but events that needed heavy weaponry deployment," he said.
The recent developments that reflect continuous diplomatic engagements have set India-China ties in the direction of "some improvement", he said.
"We remain committed to engaging with China to arrive at a fair and mutually acceptable framework for boundary settlement... The government has maintained that India-China relations cannot be normal in the absence of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, the combination of a firm and principal stance on this situation and the border areas, as a clearly articulated approach to the totality of our ties," Jaishankar said.
"We have been very clear that the restoration of peace and tranquillity will be the basis for the rest of the relationship to move forward," he added.
Jaishankar credited the Indian forces, saying that despite logistical challenges and the Covid pandemic, they countered the Chinese troops rapidly.
- Text of Dr Jaishankar's speech (external link)
