In its Annual Report for 2022 released on Monday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the country’s ties with China have “remained complex.”
Border Dispute
The report noted that both countries have agreed that until the “final settlement” of their disputed border issue, “maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is an essential basis for the overall development of the bilateral relationship.”
However, it added that since April-May 2020, China “undertook several attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector, a move that “seriously disturbed the peace and tranquility” in the region.
Further, although discussions to achieve complete disengagement from all friction points have continued with the Chinese side, China’s “continued unilateral attempts…to change the status quo have impacted the bilateral relationship.”
MEA's annual report terms India's "engagement with China complex"; Points "unilateral attempts by China to change the status quo have impacted the bilateral relationship" https://t.co/RAJStkisge pic.twitter.com/TogEXoYbBX
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 13, 2023
The report stated that India has maintained its engagement through diplomatic, as well as military channels, to resolve outstanding issues.
To this end, it acknowledged that India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has previously conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the India-China relationship is “best served by observing the three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest.”
Dispute Resolution Meetings
Since May 2020, the two neighbours have held 11 meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), with the latest held in October.
Moreover, 17 Senior Commander level meetings have also been held, with the last round held in December.