TheTimes of India
May 13, 2013
China is pushing India to expedite negotiations for a boundary settlement. This is likely to figure prominently during the forthcoming visit of the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, here next week.
Briefing Indian journalists, Qin Gang, Chinese official spokesperson, on Monday said, “There is need to redouble efforts to push forward negotiations for a framework agreement on the boundary settlement.” The “urgency” to work out a boundary settlement has been cited by Indian officials as one of the reasons why Chinese troops intruded into Indian territory in mid-April.
India and China have held 15 rounds so far, but after the guiding principles were drafted in 2005, a framework agreement still eludes them. India has been stalling the process while building up its infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as a catch-up with Beijing. But the Chinese are pushing for a settlement now, sources said, and the first indications of this came from the initial conversations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Durban on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in end-March.
In an unprecedented exchange, the Chinese official spokesperson was hosted by his Indian counterpart, Syed Akbaruddin in the ministry of external affairs (MEA) here on Monday. China and India, official sources said, had drawn certain lessons from the Depsang Bulge incident. Chinese sources concentrated on the fact that the incident had been “resolved”, but that it underscored the necessity demarcating the disputed border.
Describing the standoff as an “isolated” incident, officials said, it was important to see how it was resolved. “Both sides handled it in a way to prevent it from becoming big enough to affect relations.”
Chinese officials said; it was important to see the fact that the two countries did not allow the issue to become big enough to affect ties. The resolution of the boundary dispute was deemed important from the Chinese point of view, but “it depends on the political will of the two countries.”
There is a consensus, they said, that the boundary issue would be solved peacefully, with “mutual respect and mutual accommodation.” The two sides are looking at a framework agreement soon, they added.
Describing the Chinese system as a “meritocracy” Chinese officials were quick to dissociate official policy from media reports.
