'Let’s Properly Handle Differences': Beijing On 74th Anniversary Of India-China Diplomatic Ties

Marking the 74th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the Chinese mission in India on Monday stressed the importance of implementing vital consensus and effectively managing the differences between the two neighbours.

This anniversary message came amid the ongoing exchange between the two countries regarding the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing continues to claim. Ties between the two countries nose-dived significantly following the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict in more than four decades. Ever since, both sides have been holding talks at various levels to resolve pending border issues.

“Today marks the 74th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between China and India. Let’s implement the important consensus of our leaders, properly handle differences, promote healthy and stable bilateral relations on the paths to modernisation and deliver benefits to our peoples,” the Chinese embassy to India said in a post on X.

‘Time and again’

On Thursday, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s opposition to the Chinese claim on Arunachal has been made clear, time and again. “We have recently also issued statements in this regard. I think a couple of statements. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want. That is not going to change our position. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” he said during the weekly press conference.

Last week, India and China held the 29th round of border consultation in Beijing and discussed ways to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region. “The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

The latest round of border talks came as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last month stressed that normalcy in bilateral ties will only be achieved based on the traditional deployment of troops, which will be the prerequisite for the relationship. “We’re still negotiating with the Chinese. I talk to my counterpart. We meet from time to time. Our military commanders negotiate with each other. But we are very clear that we had an agreement. There is a Line of Actual Control. We have a tradition of not bringing troops to that line. Both of us have bases some distance away, which is our traditional deployment place. And we want that normalcy,” the minister said during his interaction with the Indian diaspora here in the Malaysian capital.