India demands urgent demarcation of disputed Himalayan border with China
Kyiv • UNN
India's Defense Minister called on China to intensify work on demarcating the Himalayan section of the border. This is the first such public call from a high-ranking Indian official since 2014, amidst the ongoing border conflict.
India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Don Jun, called for intensifying work on delimiting the disputed Himalayan border section. The meeting took place on Thursday on the sidelines of the meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries in Qingdao, China, reports UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, the parties held a "deep discussion on the need to maintain peace and tranquility" on the border. Singh emphasized the need for a "final settlement of the border demarcation issue" by intensifying existing mechanisms for bilateral cooperation.
At the same time, the report of the Chinese state news agency Xinhua does not mention the issue of demarcation. It only notes that India seeks to resolve contradictions.
India and China have a 3,488-kilometer undemarcated Himalayan border line. Due to differences in the perception of the border's passage, incidents and armed clashes regularly occur. The current Line of Actual Control (LAC) partially corresponds to the colonial borders defined by the British administration.
The conflict reached its highest aggravation in June 2020, when at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese were killed during a clash on the border. After this, both sides moved thousands of troops, missile launchers, and fighter jets to the region.
Rajnath Singh's visit to China was the first since that escalation, with the most public call by a senior Indian official for the final delimitation of the border in over a decade. As early as 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping that outlining the Line of Actual Control "would contribute significantly to efforts to maintain peace."
Supplement
The two countries have already appointed special representatives for negotiations on the final settlement of the border conflict. Several rounds of negotiations have taken place, and the next meeting is scheduled to be held in India in the near future, the Indian foreign policy department reported on June 23.
In addition, within the framework of meetings in Qingdao, the Indian defense minister also held talks with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov. According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, the parties discussed accelerating the supply of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, modernizing Su-30MKI fighters and purchasing other critically important weapons.
Recall
India and Pakistan agreed to a phased withdrawal of troops and weapons from Kashmir to positions held before the conflict. The decision was made after missile strikes and large-scale military operations.