In a clear assertion of India’s position on the border row with China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that a solution must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings without attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally. But he noted that all border disputes must be solved through diplomacy.

“As you know, we are talking to the Chinese both through military channels and diplomatic ones. In fact, they work in tandem,” the external affairs minister told Rediff.com in an interview ahead of the release of his book ‘The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World’.

“But when it comes to finding a solution, this must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings. And not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally,” he said. India has been insisting that the border standoff with China must be resolved in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols for border management between the two countries.

The situation in Ladakh is a ‘most serious’ after the 1962 conflict, the minister said. Jainshankar said that the quantum of forces that have been deployed by both nations at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is unprecedented. “This is surely the most serious situation after 1962. In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border,” Jaishankar said. 

Indian and Chinese forces have been locked in a tense standoff at the border since May. On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with China at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. The two countries have since then held a series of military and diplomatic meetings.