- By Shivam Shandilya
- Sun, 14 Jan 2024 07:02 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that China should not expect relations to move on normally. The statement from Jaishankar comes amid a stand off at the border. Diplomacy continues, and sometimes solutions to difficult situations do not come in haste, he said while speaking on 'Bharat's Rise in Geopolitics' at an event here, during which he took questions from the audience.
Jaishankar said that the borders between India and China are not mutually agreed upon, and it was also decided that both sides would not amass troops and would keep the other informed about their movements. But the neighbouring nation violated this agreement in 2020, he added.
The External Affairs Minister also added that China brought its troops in large numbers to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the Galwan incident happened. He said that he had explained to the Chinese counterpart that "unless a solution is found at the border, they should not expect other relations to move on normally".
"That is impossible. You don't want to fight and do trade at the same time. Meanwhile, diplomacy is going on and sometimes solutions to difficult situations do not come in haste," he asserted.
On being asked about the recent rift with the Maldives, Jaishankar said, "What we are trying to do, and with a lot of success in the last 10 years, is to build a very strong connect."
On being asked about the United Nations not being able to prevent most wars but some of its members having been successful in denying India a permanent seat in the Security Council, Jaishankar said that the UN used to be relevant in the 1950s and 1960s and the five nations in the Security Council used to dominate other countries due to a wide gap between them. What has happened in the past 30–40 years means it is no longer the case, Jaishankar said, adding that the limitations of the UN are now visible, and many people believe India, one of the largest economies in the world, must be there (in the Security Council as a permanent member).
(With input from agencies)
