Jaishankar meets Wang Yi, says LAC must be respected and peace ensured
Context:
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the sidelines of the SCO Council meeting, their first such meeting since the Lok Sabha election.
Relevance:
GS-02 (International Relations)
Highlights of the Discussion:
- Boundary Issues: Both sides emphasized the importance of “mutual respect” in resolving boundary issues, with Mr. Jaishankar stressing that the Line of Actual Control must be respected to ensure peace and tranquillity in border areas.
- Prolonged Situation: The ministers agreed that prolonging the current border situation is not in either side’s interest and highlighted the need for complete disengagement in Eastern Ladakh to restore normalcy in bilateral relations.
- Past Efforts: This meeting marked their third in the past 12 months, continuing efforts for complete disengagement and resolution of the military border standoff since April 2020, although no breakthrough has been achieved in talks between border commanders and defence officials.
- Chinese Perspective: The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the need to find the “correct way” to handle and control the border situation while resuming normal exchanges and meeting each other halfway.
- Global Situation and SCO Support: The leaders exchanged views on the global situation, with India extending support to China’s SCO presidency in 2025. Mr. Jaishankar also reiterated the SCO’s principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, with a focus on combating terrorism, indirectly referencing Pakistan.
Line of Actual Control:
- It is a demarcation that distinguishes Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.
- The LAC is divided into three primary sectors:
- Eastern Sector: Covers Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
- Middle Sector: Includes regions in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
- Western Sector: Encompasses the area of Ladakh.
Differing Perceptions of LAC Length
- India’s View: The LAC extends over 3,488 kilometers.
- China’s View: The LAC is considered to be around 2,000 kilometers long.
Claims and Boundaries
- India’s Claim Line: The official boundary, as marked by the Survey of India, includes Aksai Chin and Gilgit-Baltistan. This indicates that India’s LAC is not the same as its claim line.
- China’s Claim Line: For China, the LAC serves as the claim line except in the eastern sector, where it claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet.
The Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan
- Origin: The LoC was established from the ceasefire line negotiated by the United Nations in 1948 following the Kashmir War.
- Designation: It was officially termed the LoC in 1972 after the Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan.
- Delineation: The LoC is marked on maps signed by the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries’ armies, giving it the status of a legal agreement.
Comparison
- LoC: Legally recognized, mapped, and demarcated on the ground with international sanctity.
- LAC: Conceptual and not mutually agreed upon by India and China, lacking official delineation on maps or physical demarcation on the ground.
