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India to study Chinese draft framework on boundary dispute
India will study a suggestion put forward by China for a draft framework to resolve their protracted boundary dispute — the most contentious issue in bilateral ties between the two countries.

The two Asian giants also agreed to formulate a new set of code of conduct to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at special representative talks on the boundary issue held here on Saturday, persons familiar with the issue told ET.

The two sides have also agreed to set up a hotline between the Indian Army and China's People’s Liberation Army to avert occasional flashpoints along the de facto borders termed as LAC.

China has put forward “a practical framework for solving the boundary question” and India has “attached importance” to it, a press release issued by Chinese foreign ministry said, quoting its foreign minister Wang Yi who met with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu here on Saturday.

Beijing claimed that the framework it presented to New Delhi was in accordance with the ‘Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of Boundary Question’ the two sides had agreed on in 2005.

Both sides should also advance consultations that can yield early results, promote mutual trust and enhance cooperation in the border areas so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas, Wang said at the bilateral talks, according to the release.

Wang also suggested that the two countries should further strengthen communication and coordination, and jointly safeguard multilateralism, fairness and justice.

The two sides have reached consensus on confidence building measures and cooperation in border areas, the press release said quoting Wang.

It said the two sides “exchanged views on the early harvest of the boundary negotiations” at Saturday’s meet. China has for long been pushing for a ‘piecemeal’ approach to settle the border dispute, beginning by clinching an “early harvest” deal on the less disputed stretches of the boundary in the middle sector, before moving to settle the more contentious eastern and western sectors.

India has been resisting the proposal for a piecemeal approach. India would prefer “a complete package deal” covering the entire length of its boundary, person familiar with developments told ET.

China had accused India of unilaterally changing the status quo along the disputed boundary with its August 5 move to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and reorganise the state into two Union Territories.

However, the Narendra Modi government clarified that the change of Ladakh’s status into UT has no impact on status of LAC.

Beijing had even sought to internationalise the issue by seeking to raise it at closed door UN Security Council (UNSC) session. The attempt was thwarted by other key members of UNSC.
India to study Chinese draft framework on boundary dispute
 
India links China’s Sikkim offer with middle sector map

New Delhi and Beijing exchanged maps of the middle sector as far back as March 2002, but there has been no movement since then.


Updated: Dec 31, 2019 05:13 IST
By Shishir Gupta and Rezaul H Laskar
Hindustan Times, New Delhi
_09cd57b6-2b3b-11ea-96cb-8d9426408fe0.png
The 22nd dialogue of the Special Representatives (SR) on the boundary issue between national security adviser Ajit Doval and state councillor Wang Yi in New Delhi on December 21 ended with both sides committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).(PTI Photo)

India has linked China’s “early harvest” proposal for settling the Sikkim land boundary to the simultaneous demarcation of the middle sector in Uttarakhand as a stepping stone to phased resolution of the decades-old border dispute.

New Delhi and Beijing exchanged maps of the middle sector as far back as March 2002, but there has been no movement since then.

The 22nd dialogue of the Special Representatives (SR) on the boundary issue between national security adviser Ajit Doval and state councillor Wang Yi in New Delhi on December 21 ended with both sides committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

While the Chinese statement on the talks said the two sides should “promote early harvest consultations”, there was no mention of such proposals in the statement from the Indian side.

The Chinese side says the “early harvest” proposal was submitted to external affairs minister S Jaishankar when he met Wang Yi in Beijing in August. The Indian side says the demarcation of the border in the Sikkim sector as a “low hanging fruit” was mentioned by the Chinese special representative some time ago. HT has previously reported on this proposal.

The Indian side has now indicated that it wants the Chinese to show sincerity in equal measure by simultaneously resolving the middle sector along with Sikkim as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is in a vulnerable position in the latter with the Indian Army and Bhutan Army dominating Chumbi Valley from both sides.

“The Sikkim proposal is not so simple, as any Indian agreement on demarcation will be used by Beijing to settle the boundary with Bhutan with an eye towards the Doklam plateau. If India settles Sikkim, where it dominates both Chumbi Valley and Finger Area up in the north, then China will expand its Chumbi Valley area and increase pressure on the Siliguri corridor in West Bengal,” said a former Indian Army chief.

Settling the border in the Sikkim sector will also have a direct bearing on Doklam, the site of the 2017 military stand-off, as the India-China-Bhutan trijunction at Batang La will be in contest, with the Chinese interpretation of the tri-junction at Gyemochen, further south of Batang La and at the start of Jhampheri ridge.

“If the Chinese get to Jhampheri ridge, then the entire Siliguri corridor becomes extremely vulnerable to the PLA. The lights of Gangtok are visible from Jhampheri ridge,” said a China expert who declined to be named.

However, India is willing to look at China’s Sikkim proposal — believed to be the brainchild of Luo Zhaohui, the former envoy to New Delhi and now the vice minister responsible for Asia at the foreign ministry in Beijing — if China resolves the middle sector at the same time.

After the exchange of maps on the middle sector in March 2002, four areas of differences emerged. They are Kaurik (250 sq km), Shipki la (64 sq km), Pulan Sumda (1,336 sq km) and Barahoti Plains (750 sq km).

Just as PLA is vulnerable in Chumbi Valley, the Indian national security establishment is concerned about the middle sector, which is just 400km to 500km from New Delhi. Any Chinese aggression in this sector will lead to vertical escalation from the Indian side, given its proximity to the political heart of the country.

Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said: “China’s early harvest proposal violates the 2005 agreement on the guidelines and parameters for resolving the boundary issue as it clearly says that it has to be a package deal. This is the usual Chinese way of walking out of agreements. This early harvest proposal relates to the Sikkim border which is the only one which is settled. So where is the early harvest for India in this ? On the contrary, China will seek to settle the tri-junction in its favour through this proposal which is unacceptable. Is China ready to accept tri-junction as per the Indian position ?”

India links China’s Sikkim offer with middle sector map
 
India links China’s Sikkim offer with middle sector map
India has linked China’s “early harvest” proposal for settling the Sikkim land boundary to the simultaneous demarcation of the middle sector in Uttarakhand as a stepping stone to phased resolution of the decades-old border dispute.

New Delhi and Beijing exchanged maps of the middle sector as far back as March 2002, but there has been no movement since then.

The 22nd dialogue of the Special Representatives (SR) on the boundary issue between national security adviser Ajit Doval and state councillor Wang Yi in New Delhi on December 21 ended with both sides committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

While the Chinese statement on the talks said the two sides should “promote early harvest consultations”, there was no mention of such proposals in the statement from the Indian side.

The Chinese side says the “early harvest” proposal was submitted to external affairs minister S Jaishankar when he met Wang Yi in Beijing in August. The Indian side says the demarcation of the border in the Sikkim sector as a “low hanging fruit” was mentioned by the Chinese special representative some time ago. HT has previously reported on this proposal.

The Indian side has now indicated that it wants the Chinese to show sincerity in equal measure by simultaneously resolving the middle sector along with Sikkim as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is in a vulnerable position in the latter with the Indian Army and Bhutan Army dominating Chumbi Valley from both sides.

“The Sikkim proposal is not so simple, as any Indian agreement on demarcation will be used by Beijing to settle the boundary with Bhutan with an eye towards the Doklam plateau. If India settles Sikkim, where it dominates both Chumbi Valley and Finger Area up in the north, then China will expand its Chumbi Valley area and increase pressure on the Siliguri corridor in West Bengal,” said a former Indian Army chief.

Settling the border in the Sikkim sector will also have a direct bearing on Doklam, the site of the 2017 military stand-off, as the India-China-Bhutan trijunction at Batang La will be in contest, with the Chinese interpretation of the tri-junction at Gyemochen, further south of Batang La and at the start of Jhampheri ridge.

“If the Chinese get to Jhampheri ridge, then the entire Siliguri corridor becomes extremely vulnerable to the PLA. The lights of Gangtok are visible from Jhampheri ridge,” said a China expert who declined to be named.

However, India is willing to look at China’s Sikkim proposal — believed to be the brainchild of Luo Zhaohui, the former envoy to New Delhi and now the vice minister responsible for Asia at the foreign ministry in Beijing — if China resolves the middle sector at the same time.

After the exchange of maps on the middle sector in March 2002, four areas of differences emerged. They are Kaurik (250 sq km), Shipki la (64 sq km), Pulan Sumda (1,336 sq km) and Barahoti Plains (750 sq km).

Just as PLA is vulnerable in Chumbi Valley, the Indian national security establishment is concerned about the middle sector, which is just 400km to 500km from New Delhi. Any Chinese aggression in this sector will lead to vertical escalation from the Indian side, given its proximity to the political heart of the country.

Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said: “China’s early harvest proposal violates the 2005 agreement on the guidelines and parameters for resolving the boundary issue as it clearly says that it has to be a package deal. This is the usual Chinese way of walking out of agreements. This early harvest proposal relates to the Sikkim border which is the only one which is settled. So where is the early harvest for India in this? On the contrary, China will seek to settle the tri-junction in its favour through this proposal which is unacceptable. Is China ready to accept tri-junction as per the Indian position?”
India links China’s Sikkim offer with middle sector map
 
China steps up compliance with UN sea law after ship expelled by India
China has announced that its scientific researchers must get permission before working in foreign waters, signalling a willingness to follow international sea law weeks after a Chinese research ship was expelled by India. The country’s foreign ministry posted a notice on its website on Tuesday instructing Chinese institutions, groups and individuals aiming to conduct marine science research in other countries’ territory that they would need “an explicit statement of consent” from that country.

Conducting such activities in another country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – the area extending 200 nautical miles (370km or 230 land-measured miles) from its coastline – or continental shelf area also required that country’s permission, according to the notice. “Institutions or individuals … must comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), obey the law of the country, follow the research programme approved by the coastal state, and shall not conduct scientific research in the waters under foreign administration without making application or without the application being approved,” the notice said.

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Shiyan-1 was told to leave waters around India’s southeastern Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Photo: AP

The announcement came six days after news that the research ship Shiyan-1 (or Experiment 1), owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, had been caught operating without permission in waters near Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a territory of India. The incident had reportedly angered the
Indian side. “Our stance has been that if you do anything in our region, you have to notify us or get our permission,” Indian naval chief Admiral Karambir Singh was quoted as saying last week.

Shiyan-1 had been spotted in September by an Indian maritime surveillance aircraft while carrying out research activities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ EEZ. After an Indian warship approached it to issue warnings, Shiyan-1 retreated from the area.

Philippine President Duterte admits being at a loss getting Beijing to honour South China Sea ruling. The UNCLOS allows coastal states to claim 12 nautical miles of territorial waters and 200 nautical miles of EEZ, along with jurisdiction over marine scientific research in both. The convention also grants coastal states sovereign rights over the continental shelf seabed, extending beyond its territorial sea, to explore and exploit natural resources there.

Tuesday’s announcement said Chinese scientific research institutions, companies and individuals must submit detailed research plans to the foreign ministry at least seven months in advance, so that the ministry could make requests to the relevant countries on their behalf. The ministry might decide not to apply to the foreign country if it found a record of non-compliance by the applicant, the notice said. But the notice specifically exempted activities in waters that other countries dispute with China, which has been embroiled in territorial disputes with most of its neighbours.

This year, a Chinese survey ship, Haiyang Dizhi 8 (Marine Geology 8), conducted seismic survey work in waters near Vanguard Bank, within 200 nautical miles of Vietnam in the South China Sea’s resource-rich Spratly Islands. Chinese and Vietnamese coastguard ships confronted each other in what became the biggest stand-off between the two countries for five years.
China steps up compliance with UN sea law after ship expelled by India
 
As in?????didnt get
There are a few forums I visit, not Indian. Some SE Asean, some African some European, I won't name them. There are many Chinese posters there. They did used to get some small amounts push back in the past but it is increasing. With Corona virus and all things went out of hand rather quickly for the Chinese. What we see in the Corona virus thread in D F I, isn't just happening on D F I. Its more global now than before. Recently some posters in a forum I will not name were citing my post on the joint exercise thread on this forum to make fun of the Chinese. The context was the Chinese navy's inability to sustain operation in the Indian ocean.
 
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China expects more goodwill from India amid virus outbreak
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP), India, as a neighbor of China and the second most populous country in the world, has adopted a series of measures to prevent the virus from spreading into India. New Delhi's moves include deploying aircraft to evacuate Indians from China, curtailing flights to China, blocking the entry of the Chinese people, temporarily suspending the e-visa entry from China, and organizing expert teams to study and research the virus. According to reports, till now, India only reported three cases of coronavirus infection.

From the perspective of India's national interest, India can't be blamed for taking these measures. As a country with a high population density, and economic strength that is only about one-fifth of China's, India's basic public health medical system remains under construction. India lacks sufficient capability to mobilize its entire society to fight against the virus outbreak as China has done.

Today, a sense of fear still lurks in Indian society over the 1994 outbreak of pneumonic plague in Surat, Gujarat. At that time, approximately one-fourth of Surat residents, including people in the incubation phase of the plague infection, fled the city within four days of the announcement of the epidemic. The disease soon spread across the country, causing a serious blow to India's economic development.

Nowadays, cultural, trade and people-to-people exchanges between China and India have become increasingly frequent.

Imagine if the NCP spread widely in India, it would undoubtedly turn the pandemic to a larger-scale global crisis. That's something Chinese people would least want to see.

However, could the Indian government have responded to the NCP outbreak in China in a calmer, more rational manner during the early stage? Could it have shown more goodwill like Japan, South Korea, Pakistan and Cambodia, all of which extended goodwill to China while trying to safeguard their own security? They didn't ban shipping supplies of surgical masks and other medical accessories to China or suspending e-visa services for Chinese people. The good news is, the ban on medical gear exports has been withdrawn. Yet India's previous moves have caused some discontent in Chinese public opinion.

Chinese people believe that a drop of water given in need shall be returned with a burst of a spring, which means if others offer even a little bit of help, one should return the favor with all he or she can. At this critical point as China fights the epidemic, any country that offers understanding, support and aid will be appreciated. The Chinese people will remember their support and translate their gratitude into a strong driving force for the promotion of bilateral relations.

China and India will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations this year with 70 joint celebratory activities. Over the past years, both sides have made efforts to walk out of the shadow of the Doklam standoff, with meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan and Chennai, which have become milestones for the enhancement of bilateral ties.

On numerous occasions Modi noted that the wisdom from the two countries' ancient and profound civilizations can provide inspiration for solving various challenges facing the world today. In the face of the novel coronavirus epidemic, India has good reason to work with China, support China and understand China's efforts in fighting the NCP.

In a recent letter to Xi, Modi offered India's assistance to China to deal with the challenge, Press Trust of India reported on Sunday. This reminds people of India's gestures during the 2003 SARS outbreak, when then Indian defense minister George Fernandes visited China and announced India will provide China with Indian military medicine. It is hoped this time, India will show more goodwill gestures in the future.
China expects more goodwill from India amid virus outbreak - Global Times
 


Chinese are absolutely correct. Where as Indians are emotional fools this time. There is a rapid increase of deaths in one week and the virus is spreading like fire. They are doing everything possible to contain it first.

Indians will have it from WHO for their unprofessional conduct during an epidemic outspread. A ship was kept stranded with passengers as well unless until quarantined.

One day delay is not a delay by the way.
 
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