Beijing: confirms that the sovereignty and integrity of Chinese territorial is “sacred and cannot be contested”, the country’s national legislature has adopted a new law on the protection and exploitation of land border areas, which can cause Beijing border disputes with India.
Members of the Permanent Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) approved the law at the Legislative Session Closing Meeting on Saturday, the Government-managed Xinhua news agency.
The law, which is operational from January 1 next year, stipulates that “the sovereignty and integrity of the territorial of the People’s Republic of China are Holy and cannot be contested”, he said.
The state must take steps to protect territorial integrity and land boundaries and maintain and fight any actions that damage territorial sovereignty and land boundaries, the report said.
The law also stipulates that the State will take steps to strengthen the border defense, support economic and social development and opening in border areas, improving public services and infrastructure in such fields, encouraging and supporting the lives of people, and promoting Coordination between border and social defense, economic development in the border area, he said.
The state must, follow the principle of equality, mutual trust and friendly consultation, handle land borders related to neighboring countries through negotiations to resolve disputes properly and the old border problems, he said.
India and Bhutan are two countries that have China have not completed the border agreement, while Beijing resolved a limit dispute with 12 other neighbors.
Last week, Harsh Variancastial Secretary Vardhan Shringla said that developments along the actual control line (LAC) in East Ladakh had been “very disturbed” peace and tranquility in the border area, and this clearly had an impact on wider relationships too.
Foreign Secretary, in his remarks at a seminar on “Utilizing China’s Economy” on October 21, also refers to the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar that the ability of India and China work together will determine the Asian century.
“For this to be realized, peace and tranquility in the border area is Sine Qua Non.
He (Jaisankar) has also clearly articulated that the development of our bond can only be based on mutuality – mutual respect, reciprocal sensitivity, and mutual interest in this process,” Shringla said.
“We hope that the Chinese will work with us to bring satisfactory resolution to the current problem so that it can make progress in our bilateral relationship that maintains sensitivity, aspiration, and interests,” said the Secretary of the Foreign.
While Indian-Chinese border disputes include 3,488 km along the actual control line, the Chinese-Bhutan dispute covers around 400 km.
The new land border law was adopted in the midst of a sustainable deadlock between the Indian and Chinese military in East Ladakh.
On October 14, China and Bhutan signed the MoU to strengthen a three-step road map to accelerate boundary negotiations, which Beijing said would make “meaningful contributions” to accelerate the border talks and the formation of diplomatic bonds.