Galwan Valley Archives - Lokmarg

China Has Unilaterally Tried To Change LAC: Jaishankar

By LokMarg 3rd January 2023

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on Monday lambasted China for trying to unilaterally change the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In an interview with the Austrian ZIB2 podcast, a daily news magazine of ORF television, Jaishankar said, “We had an agreement not to unilaterally change the LAC, which they have tried to unilaterally do. So there is, I think, an issue, a perception that we have which derives directly from our experiences.”
The Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake in the west of the LAC, have hosted flashpoints in recent years. In the east Tawang was the site of the latest India-China scuffle.

“I think there’s a larger concern based on our experiences. The concern is that we had agreements with China not to amass forces in our border areas, and they have not observed those agreements, which is why we have the currently tense situation that we do,” he said.

Recently, India and China held the 17th Round of Corps Commander Level Meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on December 20 and agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector.

Speaking about China trying to change the status quo, he said that China may blame India for not following the agreements, however, the satellite pictures could clearly show who was at the fault.

“Now, where else the status quo may change or not change? I would hesitate as a foreign minister to predict publicly. I may have my own views and assessments, but I certainly can share my experience. And my experience is that written agreements were not observed and that we have seen levels of military pressure, which, in our view, has no justification. China would say the opposite. They would say that India had not obeyed different agreements. But obviously, no, I think it’s difficult for China to say that. For this reason, the record is very clear, because today there’s a lot of transparency. You have satellite pictures. If you see who moved the forces to the border areas first, I think the record is very clear. So it’s very difficult for China to say what you suggested they could,” said Jaishankar.

Commenting on India which is likely to overtake China as the most populous country, and its place in world politics, Jaishankar said, “India will probably overtake China as the world’s most populous country within this year. Is this fact of any political significance to India, or is it just a mere statistic? You know, we’ll know that when we reach there, won’t we? Because we have never used numbers in that manner. Maybe other countries have. I would still say it is a statistic to a large extent,” to ZIB2.

He also highlighted the need for reforms in the United Nations, saying that the world’s most populous country is not among the permanent members of the Security Council.

“What does it say about the state of the UN? If that is the case? So it’s both a yes and a no. It’s partly a statistic, but I think it’s a statistic that means a lot. For several years, you have called for a permanent seat on the Security Council as if Brazil as Japan, or Germany. How long will it take, from your point of view, till this reform of the Council will actually become reality? Well, ideally, we’d like it yesterday, of course, but the problem, I think, is that those who are today enjoying the benefits of permanent membership clearly are not in a hurry to see the reform. I think it’s a very short-sighted view, in my opinion, because at the end of the day, the credibility of the UN, and frankly, their own interests and effectiveness, is at stake. So my sense is it will take some time, hopefully not too much time,” said Jaishankar.

He also underscored that the UN is not represented evenly, he said, “I can see a growing body of opinion among UN members who believe that there must be change. It’s not just us. You have entire Africa, entire Latin America left out developing countries vastly underrepresented, I think, the state of the world. This was an organization invented in 1945. It’s 2023. And when you would have to guess for a year when this will happen, what would it be? No, I wouldn’t guess, because I know the complexities of this process. It’s a tough one. I would be honest with you. It’s a tough one. But I don’t think we should give up because it’s a tough one. On the contrary, because it’s a tough one, we should actually up the ante, increase the feeling in bad parts of the world that this reform is essential.” (ANI)

New Chinese Foreign Min Qin Seeks Improved Ties With India

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in an op-ed piece for US-based magazine, The National Interest, has indicated that Beijing seeks to improve ties with New Delhi.

Days before replacing Wang Yi, Qin in an article titled “How China Sees the World”, referred to India-China border issues and said, “both sides are willing to ease the situation and jointly protect peace along their borders.”

The Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake in the west of the LAC, have hosted flashpoints in recent years. In the east in Tawang, the site of the latest scuffle, there are discussions about Buddhist holy sites whose control can have implications for China’s authority over Tibet and its next spiritual leader according to a report in Newsweek.

“In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The MEA statement said the two sides agreed to stay in close contact, maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

Qin, meanwhile also blamed the US for challenging the status quo on Taiwan, and Japan for altering the status quo in the South China Sea.

“China’s development means a stronger force for peace, not a growing power poised to ‘break the status quo’, as some call it. The tension across the Taiwan Strait was not created by the Chinese mainland breaking the status quo, but by ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and external forces continually challenging the status quo of ‘one China’,” Qin wrote.

“In the case of the East China Sea, it was Japan who attempted to ‘nationalize’ Diaoyu Dao ten years ago, altering the “status quo” between China and Japan by agreeing to put aside differences. In the South China Sea, the status quo is that regional countries are consulting on a code of conduct that will lead to meaningful and effective rules for the region,” he wrote.

Earlier, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a phone call with Qin, discussed the Washington-Beijing ties and keeping the lines of communication open.

Taking to Twitter, Blinken said, “Spoke by phone this morning with incoming People’s Republic of China Foreign Minister Qin Gang as he departs Washington for his new role. We discussed the US-PRC relationship and maintaining open lines of communication.”

Qin, who was China’s ambassador to the United States, was appointed as the country’s new foreign minister on Friday.

This decision was made by the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Global Times reported.

Qin, 56, replaced Wang, who is now a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councillor, the report added.

On Thursday, the Chinese ambassador had warned Washington that it could face “military conflict” with Beijing over the future status of Taiwan.

“If the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the United States, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely will involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in a military conflict,” Qin told US-based publication NPR in his first one-on-one interview since assuming his post in Washington, last July.

Qin, who arrived in Washington last year at a time of bipartisan discontent with China, told NPR that any idea of “changing China” was always “an illusion”. (ANI)

Chinese Army Behaving Like Hooligans, Streetfighters: Naravane

By LokMarg 14th December 2022

The Indian Army maintains a “professional stance” in warfare and would rather open fire than resort to “wielding clubs,” said former Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane in a reference to the Chinese army engaging in fisticuffs with Indian soldiers in Galwan valley and most recently in Arunachal’s Tawang.

General Naravane asked if the Chinese army (People’s Liberation Army) has gone down to the level of “prehistoric times” by using “clubs and barbed wires”.

His remarks came days after the Chinese army attempted to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9 through a faceoff with the Indian troops, in which they were pushed back by the Indian Army without suffering any casualties.

“We would still like to maintain that we are a 21st-century Army. To start going back to clubs and barbed wires is going back to prehistoric times. It is a very regressive way of going. We would still like to maintain that in warfare also there are certain rules. It is not that you do whatever you want to do. We would still like to maintain a professional stance. Therefore, rather than resort to wielding clubs, we rather open fire,” he said in ‘Podcast with Smita Prakash’.

“That is how an army fights by using the weapons at your disposal and not getting into fisticuffs. Are we hooligans or mafia? We are professional. Is that the level PLA has gone down to? Hooliganism and streetfighting? Or they are a professional 21st-century army? On one side they try to show their technological prowess, on the other side they are coming with barbed wire clubs. It is ridiculous,” the former Army Chief said.

Talking about the Galwan valley clash in 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives and several Chinese soldiers were also killed, General Naravane said that the Indian Army countered them in the same way that was used against it.

“Although we did not fire, we also resorted in a similar vein. It was always a question of who will open fire first. Since we felt that we had the measure of the PLA troops over there, we also countered them in the same way that they were taking action against us which was basically by the use of non-lethal, that is not actually firing, although casualties did occur. They were carrying sticks and we were also carrying sticks,” he said.

Asked what went through his mind when Colonel Santosh Babu and his men were killed in the Galwan clash in 2020, General Naravane said that the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice died in the line of duty.

“Any casualty of course hurts you. Every man is your man or son or daughter as a chief or a battalion commander. So any such news come, obviously you feel saddened. On the other hand, you also feel that what they have done is in the line of duty. They have certainly given as good as they got,” he said. (ANI)

Richa Trolled For Tweeting About Galwan Incident

By LokMarg 24th November 2022

Bollywood actor Richa Chadha has come under fire for posting a tweet on the 2020 Galwan clash, in which several Indian Army soldiers died.

On Wednesday, Richa had reacted to Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi’s statement that the Indian Army is ready to execute orders like taking back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Sharing a post on the statement, Richa took to her Twitter handle and wrote, “Galwan says hi.”

As soon as she tweeted this, all hell broke loose on social media and people started to slam her for allegedly insulting the army by talking about the 2020 clash between India and China.

One user wrote, “Mocking the sacrifice of our soldiers at Galwan valley. Shameful & disgraceful.”

Another user shared, “‘Galwan says hi’ writes Richa Chadha in response to a statement by a commanding officer on POK. Disrespecting those who gave their lives for India. Mocking the Indian army. She proves once again there is no limit to how low this industry can sink. A boycott is all they are worth.”

BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa tweeted, “Disgraceful Tweet. Should be withdrawn at the earliest. Insulting our armed forces is not justified.”

Meanwhile, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi’s statement was made with reference to Defence Minister’s previous address in which he reiterated New Delhi’s resolve to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying all refugees would get their land and homes back.

Lt General Upendra Dwivedi said, “As far as the Indian Army is concerned, it will carry out any order given by the Government of India. Whenever such orders are given, we will always be ready for it.”

“The military is always ready to make sure that ceasefire understanding is never broken as it is in the interest of both nations, but if broken at any time, we will give them a befitting reply,” said Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander on the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. (ANI)

First handshake Since Galwan: Modi, Xi Meet At G20

By LokMarg 15th November 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia.

Both the leaders exchanged pleasantries at the high-profile dinner.
Notably, this is the first handshake since China’s Peoples Liberation Army and the Indian Army’s standoff in eastern Ladakh in April 2020.

The relations between India and China soured following a standoff in April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger Area, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June.

In June 2020, the two armies were engaged in a violent clash that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least three Chinese troops.

PM Modi and Xi exchanged greetings at the G20 dinner.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for improving connectivity at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, he maintained a safe distance from Xi Jinping.

PM Modi and President Jinping shared the world stage for the first time after clashes in the Galwan Valley. The tension along the Indo-China border was evident from the distance that the two leaders maintained from each other at the summit.

Moreover, PM Modi also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the G20 dinner. He will be holding bilateral meetings with leaders of Indonesia, Spain, France, Singapore, Germany, Italy, Australia and the UK.

He is expected to hold bilateral talks with at least 8-9 world leaders on Wednesday.

Earlier, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden expressed satisfaction about the close cooperation between India and US in new groupings such as the Quad, and I2U2 and reviewed the India-US strategic partnership on the margins of the G20 Summit in Bali on Tuesday.

Both sides discussed close cooperation in future-oriented sectors like critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, and artificial intelligence, an official statement by Prime Minister’s office read.

Furthermore, PM Modi also welcomed support for India’s G20 Presidency and expressed views on focus areas of the G20.

PM Modi also met with his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte during the ongoing G20 Summit in Bali, calling it an excellent interaction.

“Excellent interaction with @MinPres Mark Rutte during the @g20org Summit,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.

He also met the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, and exchanged views on boosting India-Senegal ties. Moreover, PM Modi also interacted with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, and Indian-American economist Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s Deputy managing director.

“Insightful deliberations with President @Macky Sall on boosting India- Senegal ties and deepening cooperation with Africa. @PR Senegal” tweeted PM Modi.

PM Narendra Modi also met his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

“With my friend President @EmmanuelMacron during the @g20org Summit earlier today,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

WHO Chief and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also briefly interacted on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali.

Sharing a picture of his meeting with PM Modi on Twitter, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Thank you #India Prime Minister @narendramodi for your collaboration with @WHO on hosting and building the global traditional health centre. Together for #HealthForAll!”

The 17th edition of the G20 Summit will focus on key global concern issues under the theme ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger.’ (ANI)

Peace In Border Areas of India, China Basis For Normal Relations: Jaishankar

By LokMarg 18th October 2022

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that peace and tranquillity in the border areas of India and China remain the basis for normal relations.

Speaking at the conference of the Center for Contemporary China Studies (CCCS) on “China’s Foreign Policy and International Relations in the New Era,” Jaishankar said, “Peace and tranquillity in the border areas clearly remain the basis for normal relations. From time to time, this has been mischievously conflated with the sorting out of the boundary question.”
He further said that the truth is that the prerequisite has been and remains one much more modest, and even that was breached in 2020.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar shared the main points and said that India’s search for a more balanced and stable relationship with China takes it across multiple domains and many options. “Given the developments of 2020, they obviously focus on an effective defense of the border. This was notably undertaken even in the midst of Covid,” he added.

Referring to India and China tensions which intensified after the Galwan valley clash, Jaishankar said that establishing a way of life between New Delhi and Beijing after 2020 is not easy. “Yet, it is a task that cannot be set aside. And this can only become sustainable on the basis of three mutuals: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest,” EAM added in a tweet.

The Galwan valley clash has strained the relationship between India and China. Recently, on September 13 completed the disengagement process in the Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area near Patrolling Point-15 in the eastern Ladakh sector, according to government sources.

The two sides have also completed verification of each other’s positions adapter pulling back troops from the friction point.

India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

“Internationally, building deeper relationships and promoting a better understanding of its interests strengthens India. We must prepare to compete more effectively, especially in our immediate periphery,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Calling the tension between India and China, “a period of serious challenge,” Jaishankar tweeted that it will impact the relationship and prospects of the continent. It is the willingness to take a long-term view of their ties that the two countries must display today. The continuation of the current impasse will not benefit either India or China. New normals of posture will inevitably lead to new normals of responses.”

Earlier in the conference, Jaishankar said that in the past seven decades of engagement, India has taken a “bilateral approach to China.” He further added that there are many reasons for this including a sense of Asian solidarity and suspicion of 3rd party interests that emanated from other experiences

“Indeed, Indian policy in the past has exhibited a remarkable degree of self-restraint that led to the expectation that others can have a veto over its choices. That period, however, is now behind us. The ‘new era’ is apparently not just for China,” Jaishankar tweeted. (ANI)