State of border will determine relationship with China, says S Jaishankar
India Today
At MSC, Jaishankar participated in a panel discussion on the Indo-Pacific and will also lead discussions at an 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' event.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that India's relations with China are going through a "very difficult phase" and the state of the border will determine the state of New Delhi's relationship with Beijing.
During the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2022 panel discussion on Saturday, Jaishankar was asked if India is moving towards the West because of the increased tensions with China.
It's a problem, Jaishankar said, adding, "The problem is that for 45 years, there was peace. There was stable border management. There were no military casualties on the border since 1975. That changed because we had agreements with China not to bring military forces to the line of actual control. And the Chinese violated those agreements."
"Now, the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship. That's natural. So obviously, relations with China right now are going through a very difficult phase. Therefore, our relations with the West are better," he added.
Jaishankar arrived in Germany on Friday to take part in the MSC. Jaishankar held a series of talks with foreign ministers and other senior delegates on the sidelines of the MSC.
Jaishankar met with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and held a wide range of discussions covering bilateral and global issues, including the Indo-Pacific, the developments surrounding Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan.
The MSC is expected to extensively deliberate on the escalating tension between the NATO countries and Russia over Ukraine.
