Foreign minister S Jaishankar said India was being tested in the LAC standoff with China in eastern Ladakh even as he expressed confidence India will meet the national security challenge. The minister also said that the LAC situation is not in China's interest as its "carefully developed" goodwill will likely dissipate because of border tensions with India. He described the recent events at the line of actual control as very disturbing. Just a few days ago he had noted that China had advanced five different reasons for it mobilisation along the LAC.
Speaking at the FICCI annual general meeting, Jaishankar refused to hazard a guess on whether or not a breakthrough is expected soon in the talks for disengagement. The external affairs minister said a lot of discussions had taken place over the proposed deal. "For a variety of reasons, they didn't close it out. I can tell you on our side, we were dead serious. We wanted to deal with those issues because we thought there was something much bigger that was in store for the relationship. But it didn't happen. And often when it comes to trade discussions (they) are like business discussions between two governments," he said.
"I would not go into prediction zone at all, whether it is going to be easy or not, and what will be the timelines. I do not believe that the events of this year have helped at all. In fact I think the real danger is that the goodwill which was so carefully developed will dissipate," he said.
"But I also would say that, yes, we are being tested. I have every confidence that we will rise to the occasion; we will meet that national security challenge. But beyond that, at this time, I would really frankly keep my own counsel," he added. He said these events have raised some very "basic concerns" as the "other party" had not abided by agreements on respecting the LAC.
According to the minister, what has happened in the past 6-7 months is not actually in the interest of China. "Because what it has done is - it has significantly impacted public sentiment (in India). Professionally, I have seen the evolution of how the Indian public feels about China over the last many decades and I am old enough to remember much more difficult days, especially in my childhood and in my teens," he said.
Jaishankar also said a lot of work had gone into developing the relationship on both sides. "I think the events of this year have been very disturbing; they have raised some very basic concerns because they have happened because the other party has not abided by agreements that we have had with them about respecting and observing the line of actual control and not bringing the forces to the line of actual control."
Asked about the proposed trade deal with the US, Jaishankar said fairly serious negotiations had taken place between the government and the Trump administration on resolving outstanding trade issues. "I think the general thinking on both sides was 'let's deal with differences before we think of something bigger'," he said. When asked about the outcome of the US presidential election, Jaishankar suggested that the ties between the two countries will continue to expand.
