When previous Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last made an official statement on the Indo-China border dispute, it came soon after a tense standoff between troops on both sides on the Line of Actual Control in 2013. Back then, Singh and his then-external affairs minister Salman Khurshid were criticised for taking what seemed to be a timid stance against Chinese belligerence.
A few months later, after a trip to Beijing, however, Singh laid out a much more assertive line on the border issue – one that current Prime Minister Narendra Modi has essentially repeated almost line by line.
Here’s what Singh had said at the Central Party School in Beijing when the two countries signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement.
This speech didn’t come after a recent incident, so there was no specific mention of the troubles along the border. Following that, however, the script covered well-trodden ground based on the doctrine that was developed over the course of Singh’s tenure.
The statement insisted that maintaining peace was the cornerstone of the relationship between the two countries and that nothing should be done to disturb this. It went on to insist that the existing agreements and mechanisms are sufficient to ensure that peace is maintained, while finally adding that a resolution of the boundary issue should be arrived at quickly.
Here is what Modi said in Delhi on Thursday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance:
The first line, of course, stands out. The closest Singh ever came to talking about serious concerns about such incidents with a Chinese official was around was also at the Central Party School, where he mentioned that “recent experiences” had been impediments to the relationship between the two countries.
Following that, however, the statement is almost a verbatim replication of Singh’s words. Instead of “cornerstone,” peace and tranquility here form the “foundation” of the relationship and it is important that this be observed. Existing border-related agreements and confidence measures have worked well, Modi adds, while also calling for an “early settlement” of the border question.
Within the careful deliberations of diplomacy, the addition of that one statement is significant. Small swings one way or the other in the wording can have huge implications, as the decision not to affirm the “One China” policy (referring to the territorial integrity of China across Tibet and Taiwan) back in 2010 showed.
But a simple expression of serious concern was also not as tough of a statement as could have been expected from what most thought would be a much more assertive Modi sarkar. This seemed potentially more problematic because of the words Xi used on the border dispute.
Considering most of the incursions appear to be one-way – Chinese troops intruding into Indian territory – that statement might give cause for concern among Indians who believe that Beijing is dismissive of its neighbours' territorial concerns. But, as with Modi’s “serious concern” it’s not enough of a policy indicator to read much into, and nevertheless follows through with the Indian approach that both countries should use existing mechanisms while also attempting to address the border issue at the earliest.
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A few months later, after a trip to Beijing, however, Singh laid out a much more assertive line on the border issue – one that current Prime Minister Narendra Modi has essentially repeated almost line by line.
Here’s what Singh had said at the Central Party School in Beijing when the two countries signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement.
Maintaining peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas has been the cornerstone of our relationship. It is essential for mutual confidence and for the expansion of our relations. We should do nothing to disturb that. Indeed, we can achieve it by adhering to our agreements and utilizing our bilateral mechanisms effectively. At the same time, we should move quickly to resolve our boundary issue.
This speech didn’t come after a recent incident, so there was no specific mention of the troubles along the border. Following that, however, the script covered well-trodden ground based on the doctrine that was developed over the course of Singh’s tenure.
The statement insisted that maintaining peace was the cornerstone of the relationship between the two countries and that nothing should be done to disturb this. It went on to insist that the existing agreements and mechanisms are sufficient to ensure that peace is maintained, while finally adding that a resolution of the boundary issue should be arrived at quickly.
Here is what Modi said in Delhi on Thursday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance:
I raised our serious concern over repeated incidents along the border. We agreed that peace and tranquility in the border region constitutes an essential foundation for mutual trust and confidence and for realizing the full potential of our relationship. This is an important understanding, which should be strictly observed. While our border related agreements and confidence building measures have worked well, I also suggested that clarification of Line of Actual Control would greatly contribute to our efforts to maintain peace and tranquility and requested President Xi to resume the stalled process of clarifying the LAC. We should also seek an early settlement of the boundary question.
The first line, of course, stands out. The closest Singh ever came to talking about serious concerns about such incidents with a Chinese official was around was also at the Central Party School, where he mentioned that “recent experiences” had been impediments to the relationship between the two countries.
Following that, however, the statement is almost a verbatim replication of Singh’s words. Instead of “cornerstone,” peace and tranquility here form the “foundation” of the relationship and it is important that this be observed. Existing border-related agreements and confidence measures have worked well, Modi adds, while also calling for an “early settlement” of the border question.
Within the careful deliberations of diplomacy, the addition of that one statement is significant. Small swings one way or the other in the wording can have huge implications, as the decision not to affirm the “One China” policy (referring to the territorial integrity of China across Tibet and Taiwan) back in 2010 showed.
But a simple expression of serious concern was also not as tough of a statement as could have been expected from what most thought would be a much more assertive Modi sarkar. This seemed potentially more problematic because of the words Xi used on the border dispute.
“The China-India border areas have maintained peace and tranquility. Yet since the border has yet to be demarcated, sometimes there might be certain incidents, but the two sides are fully capable of acting promptly to effectively manage the situation through various levels of border-related mechanism, so that such incidents do not have a large impact on the bilateral relationship.”
Considering most of the incursions appear to be one-way – Chinese troops intruding into Indian territory – that statement might give cause for concern among Indians who believe that Beijing is dismissive of its neighbours' territorial concerns. But, as with Modi’s “serious concern” it’s not enough of a policy indicator to read much into, and nevertheless follows through with the Indian approach that both countries should use existing mechanisms while also attempting to address the border issue at the earliest.
