Negotiations between India and China to settle their border dispute have stalled without any progress. The Hindustan Times reported this week that the talks had broken down because of China’s insistence that the two countries’ armies withdraw as equals.
Talks to withdraw from the Galawan Valley have been slow since a deadly conflict in mid-June that killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese ones. India has previously accused Chinese troops of repeated incursions into its territory. China believes that India is fully responsible for the conflict along the China-India border.
The Hindustan Times reports that roads in conflict zones are a major point of contention in the talks. The report quoted an Indian government source as saying That India had rejected the simultaneous retreat position because the Chinese had a better path that would allow them faster and easier access to conflict areas.
India has significantly increased funding for the construction and maintenance of strategic border roads in the region since June, from $46 million to $60 million this fiscal year, the Hindustan Times reported Aug. 27.
However, according to Hong Kong’s English-language South China Morning Post, foreign ministry officials from both countries said a round of talks last week made progress and the two sides agreed to continue disengaging their armed forces. “With the active efforts of both sides, the disengagement of front-line forces of the two countries has made progress,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said at an August 27 press conference.
Citing media controlled by India’s far-right Shiv Sena party, the Hindustan Times said China had created a “feel-good atmosphere”, saying Chinese troops had retreated in the Galewan Valley but were still pointing their guns at each other. China’s actions or intentions have not changed.
Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Jaishankar told the media that the situation along the India-China border was “definitely the worst since 1962”. He said in an interview with Reffer.com, an Indian online portal, that the number of troops deployed by both sides was “unprecedented.” Tens of thousands of troops are reported to have been stationed on both sides of the border since June.
Recent Comments