External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday raised the issue of the recent incursion across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing, but he refrained from seeking a reason for it. Just four days ahead of Khurshid’s visit to Beijing, Indian and Chinese troops had gone back to their regular posts, after a 20-day face-off on the Himalayan heights of Ladakh, where both had differing views on the LAC.
Khurshid held a two-hour long meeting with Wang, with discussions spilling through dinner. It is learnt that the two sides have discussed ways and means to ensure peace and tranquility along the disputed border.
Speaking to reporters there, Khurshid said Beijing has not offered any background for the recent incursion. “We are not seeking any background. Actually, we are not even ready with our own analysis,” he added. His words are a reflection of the thinking in New Delhi, with the Centre still puzzled about the Chinese troops pitching tents 19-km inside India’s territory, especially when they did not have a supply chain for a long stay and high-level political visits were in the offing.
During the meeting, Wang had referred to Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s visit to New Delhi later this month, which will be his first foreign trip after taking over the office. He stressed that both New Delhi and Beijing have to work for the common goal of making good preparations for Li’s visit to India and taking ahead the strategic and cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Ahead of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said Beijing was hoping to use currently available mechanisms to conduct friendly consultations with New Delhi on the border issue. “We will work jointly to safeguard peace and stability in border regions and find a solution that is just, reasonable and acceptable for both sides,” he maintained.