The situation at the Line of Actual Control is moving towards being “normalised and under control”, China’s ambassador to India Sun Weidong claimed, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
“The current border situation is overall stable,” Sun said. “The phase of emergency response since the Galwan Valley incident has basically come to an end.”
The diplomat made the remarks during an event to mark the 73rd anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday at the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. His speech was released on Wednesday.
India and China have been locked in a border standoff since their troops clashed in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the clash. China had put the number of casualties on its side at four.
The two sides have held 16 rounds of commander-level talks to resolve the dispute. In the last such meeting in July, both the countries had agreed to maintain stability on the ground and resolve the problems along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas.
On September 14, media reports said that Indian and Chinese armies have completely withdrawn their troops from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs, a key standoff point in eastern Ladakh.
In his Tuesday’s speech, the Chinese ambassador said that Beijing was prepared to engage in further dialogue and consultation with India regarding the border situation.
Notably, Sun also said that China hopes that India would address Beijing’s “core interests”, which include issues related to Taiwan and Tibet, The Hindu reported. China considers Taiwan a province that is to be unified with the Chinese mainland.
“Neighbouring countries cannot move away,” Sun said, according to The Indian Express. “It is normal for neighbouring countries to have differences, what matters is how we see and deal with it.”
He added: “As in China’s perspective, our countries’ common interests far outweigh the differences. We should not seek minor gains at great cost, or let the differences define [our] bilateral relationship.”
Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also said that the world will witness the Asian Century only when China and India come together. Asian Century refers to the dominant role that Asia is expected to play in the 21st century.
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