India-China relations going through ‘very difficult phase’, Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that India`s relations with China are going through a "very difficult phase" after Beijing violated the border agreements and asserted that the "state of border will determine the state of the relationship". "For 45 years, there was peace and there was stable border management. There were no military casualties on the border.from 1975. That changed. We had agreements with China not to bring the military forces to the Line of Actual Control and the Chinese violated those agreements. Now the state of border will determine the state of the relationship. That`s natural," he said on Saturday while addressing the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2022 Panel Discussion.

Underlining the centrality of Indo-Pacific, Jaishankar said today`s world is "far more interdependent, inter-penetrative and paradoxical in nature", one where a country has to do business with another despite a major conflict of interest. The External Affairs Minister said India`s capabilities and influence has grown over the years. Jaishankar also held a series of meeting with ministers from Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world during his visit to Germany. 

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry. The tension escalated following a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020.