China, India hold ‘candid, in-depth’ talks on boundary issues but Jaishankar says ‘won’t compromise

BEIJING, : As China and India agreed to continue talks through diplomatic and military channels to resolve border issues at the latest border consultation in Beijing, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he will “never compromise on securing borders,” a move analysts viewed as a trick to pass the buck to China over the dispute and try to gain more leverage to bargain with Beijing.

Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that Jaishankar’s “tough words” were made with an eye on the upcoming election.

More importantly, the words and acts from the Indian diplomat were also likely aimed at passing the buck to China over the border standoff and worsening bilateral ties, Hu said, noting that China needs to be wary of India’s tricks to “internationalize the border disputes.”

False remarks over the Chinese territory of Zangnan by Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were slammed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as “absurd.” Senior Colonel Wu Qian from China’s Ministry of Defense on
Thursday stressed that “It is an undeniable fact that Zangnan has been Chinese territory since ancient times, and there’s no so-called Arunachal Pradesh.”

Jaishankar expressed support for Manila over its South China Sea disputes with China during his recent meeting with his Philippines counterpart.

It’s India that keeps provoking China and making trouble on the border issue in order to gain more leverage to bargain with China, Hu said.

“There is more about China-India bilateral relations than the border issue,” Hu said, “But Indian politicians have tried to use the border issue to kidnap the bilateral relationship.”

Earlier this month, data from the China General Administration of Customs showed that China’s trade with India in the first two months of 2024 surged by 15.8 percent year-on-year, making it one of the fastest growth rates among China’s trading partners.

Analysts believe that the current border situation is still generally under control, adding that China and India should further manage their differences in a practical manner and prevent a small case developing into a major one or even a military conflict.

“Both the Indian government and media should be careful in their words and actions, and respect basic historical facts on the territorial issue. Only in this way can China-India relations move forward in a healthy way and return to the normal track,” Hu said.

China, which always seeks cooperation, does not want to make India an enemy, and India should not treat China as a “threat” and rival, said Hu.