Modi, Xi to ease tension with clarification of LAC

Amid the week-long standoff between tro­ops of India and China in ea­stern Ladakh region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday pledged to resolve a long-running boundary dispute and undertake “clarification” of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to prevent the frequent face-offs.

At the hour-long rare summit, Modi not only raised the standoff at Chumar sector, where Indian troops are blocking construction of a road by their Chinese counterparts on what is perceived to be Indian territory, but also regular incursions by Chinese border guards along the 3,488-km long LAC, which acts as a de facto border in the absence of a mutually accepted boundary.

After the summit, troops on both sides retreated from their last held position to de-escalate the tension. There is, however, no reduction in troops. “I expressed our serious concern over repeated incidents along the border,” Modi said in a media statement on conclusion of the bilateral meeting.

President Xi, however, described the border dispute as “a left-over from history” and claimed transgressions happened because of non-demarcation of the border.
“The border is yet to be demarcated. Sometimes there maybe incidents but both sides are capable of handling the situation with border mechanisms so that these don’t have a large impact,” he said.

The Chinese leader affirmed that the two sides were capable of effectively managing the border situation and settling disputes at the earliest. “We have the sincerity to work with India to ensure peace and tranquillity on the border,” he asserted.
Addressing a conference later, President Xi stressed on a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable” solution to the vexed boundary issue at an early date through peaceful talks.

The Modi government had informed Parliament in August that the Chinese army had transgressed the Sino-Indian border 334 times this year and a total of 1,278 times between 2010 and 2013.

Despite the border tension overshadowing the summit, New Delhi and Beijing inked 12 documents relating to various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including civil nuclear energy cooperation and peaceful use of outer space.

Modi sought a “clarification of Line of Actual Control” to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and requested President Xi to resume the stalled process. New Delhi and Beijing have been engaged in a diplomatic dialogue since 2003 to resolve the boundary dispute.

“This is an important understanding, which should be strictly observed. Clarification of the LAC would greatly contribute to our efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity. We should also seek an early settlement of the boundary question,” the Prime Minister said.

“A climate of mutual trust and confidence, respect for each other’s sensitivities and concerns, and peace and stability in our relations and along our borders are essential for us to realise the enormous potential in our relations,” Modi said.

“If we achieve that, we can reinforce each other’s economic growth. We can contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in our region,” he said.

“We agreed that peace and tranquillity on the border constitutes an essential foundation for mutual trust and confidence and for realising the full potential of our relationship. This is an important understanding, which should be strictly observed,” the prime minister observed.