New
Delhi, (the states. news)
Amidst continuing
border tension in Eastern Ladakh with China, External Affairs Minister Dr S
Jaishankar on Thursday said that the India-China relationship is today truly at
a crossroads and choices made will have profound repercussions not just for the
two nations but the entire world.
He outlined eight broad propositions for stabilizing the relationship even
while adjusting to changes. First and foremost, agreements already reached must
be adhered to in their entirety, both in letter and spirit. Second, where the
handling of the border areas are concerned, the LAC must be strictly observed
and respected; any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo is completely
unacceptable. Third, peace and tranquillity in the border areas is the basis
for development of relations in other domains. If they are disturbed, so
inevitably will the rest of the relationship. This is quite apart from the
issue of progress in the boundary negotiations.
Fourth, while both nations are committed to a multi-polar world, there should
be a recognition that a multi-polar Asia is one of its essential constituents.
Fifth, obviously each state will have its own interests, concerns and priorities;
but sensitivity to them cannot be one-sided. At the end of the day,
relationships between major states are reciprocal in nature. Sixth, as rising
powers, each will have their own set of aspirations and their pursuit too
cannot be ignored. Seventh, there will always be divergences and differences
but their management is essential to our ties. And eighth, civilizational
states like India and China must always take the long view. (uni) (media
saheb.com)