Won’t agree to unilateral change in status quo: S Jaishankar on India-China border row

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and China have made "significant headway" in disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. However, there are some friction points that are yet to be resolved, he noted.

“We had 13 rounds of discussion by military commanders focused on disengagement. As a result, we've made significant headway in many of the friction points. There are some friction points which still remain to be resolved,” Jaishankar said during an interaction at a think-tank in Paris on Tuesday.

Jaishankar asserted that India will not look kindly upon any attempt by Beijing to unilaterally change the status quo at the India-China border.


The foreign minister did express optimism about the resolution of the border row, no matter how “complex it is, [or] however long it takes.”

India and China have held 14 rounds of military talks at the Corps Commander level since May 2020, when tensions between the two neighbouring nations escalated.

Both sides have carried out disengagement at Pangong Lake, Gogra and Galwan, while the Hot Springs friction point remains to be resolved.

India has been insisting on overall de-escalation in Ladakh and resolving places like Depsang and Demchok where a build-up pre-dates the current standoff of the last 21 months.