Jaishankar's 3 key principles for engagement with China

New Delhi: India said it is committed to remaining engaged with China to find a fair and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary issue but made it clear that its ties with Beijing will be contingent upon strictly respecting the sanctity of the LAC and adhering to the pacts on border management with no attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo. Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the disengagement of troops has been achieved in "full" in eastern Ladakh through a step-by-step process, culminating in Depsang and Demchok. India now expects the commencement of talks on remaining issues that it had placed on the agenda, he added.

Jaishankar said the conclusion of the disengagement phase now allows "us to consider other aspects of the bilateral engagement in a calibrated manner, keeping our national security interests first and foremost". India was and remains very clear that the three key principles must be observed in all circumstances, he said, explaining: "one: both sides should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC), two: neither side should attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo, and three: agreements and understandings reached in the past must be fully abided by in their entirety".

Jaishankar's detailed statement came weeks after the armies of India and China completed the disengagement of troops from two last face-off points in eastern Ladakh, effectively ending the over four-year military face-off along the LAC in that region.

"The next priority will be to consider de-escalation, that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments," he said. "It is also evident that the management of the border areas will require further attention in the light of our recent experiences." The external affairs minister, referring to previous disengagements in some of the other friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, said the temporary steps can be "revisited".