Border peace key for normalisation of ties with China: PM Modi at India-Australia Summit

New Delhi, Mar 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday emphasised that peace and tranquillity at the borders was an essential prerequisite for normalisation of relations with the neighbouring country, a reference to the border dispute with China.

He made the remarks during the virtual summit with Australian PM Scott Morrison. The two leaders discussed key regional and global issues.

"Ukraine and China were discussed (during the virtual summit). On the Ukraine issue, it was clear that the two sides had referred to the Quad summit in which the leaders had a fairly clear perspective that the situation in Ukraine should not impact on the Indo-Pacific," Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla informed media on India-Australia virtual summit.

"The conflict in Europe should not be a region for us to divert our attention from the Indo-Pacific region, and our position, far as Quad is concerned, also was on similar lines," the Foreign Secretary said.
According to the foreign secretary, Shringla claimed that the two leaders exchanged views on about regional and multilateral matters along with the global issues of mutual interest including shared concerns such as terrorism.

"PM Modi referred to LAC (Line of Actual Control) in Ladakh, the incidents of the previous year and he emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border area was an essential prerequisite for normalisation of relations with China," said Foreign Secretary.

The Australian PM expressed his views about China and its actions in the region while also speaking particularly about the South China Sea, he added.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

The tension escalated following a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020. After a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February and in the Gogra area in August last year.

India and China held the 14th round of Corps Commander-level meeting on January 12 during which the two sides agreed to maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels to work out a "mutually acceptable resolution" of the remaining issues of the standoff at eastern Ladakh. PTI