China On India-China Border Issue, Says – “Neither Of Us Wants A War”

On Wednesday, Charge D’affaires at the Chinese embassy Ma Jia said China and India will have to face the difficulties arising out of the border situation but none of the two countries wants war or confrontation.

Ma Jia told a media briefing here that the situation along the border areas was very complicated and that reaching an agreement would be difficult, which is why the two countries were holding discussions through the established Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and senior commander-level meetings.

“The situation with regard to the Ukraine issue had intensified since the G20 Summit in Bali, and it was now more difficult to reach an accommodation”, she said.

Her remarks come in the wake of a joint statement issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping following a meeting, indicating that the two sides will oppose the use of multilateral platforms to address irrelevant issues.

China has yet to name its Ambassador to India, following the departure of Sun Weidong in October of last year. Ma, a senior diplomat, has led the mission in New Delhi.

Ma had previously stated in her suo moto remarks that the current border situation was stable and that China and India were maintaining communication through the established channels – the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and senior commander-level meetings.

“There are difficulties, as I just mentioned, but we must face them. We are also confident that China and India do not want war. Neither of us wants a war. Neither of us wants confrontation along the border areas”, the top Chinese diplomat in India said, assessing the border situation.

She stated that the border issue had a long history and that reaching an agreement was difficult.

“That is why we continue to bring it up. We must discuss the issues and address them head-on. I believe that both parties want to strengthen their ties. On that, our two leaders are already in agreement, and I believe we can come up with a solution”, Ma added.

The Chinese ambassador said it may be difficult to find a consensus at the G20 if “prominent security issues” were discussed at a meeting intended to discuss economic and financial issues, amid signs that Russia and China will oppose bringing up the Ukraine issue on international platforms.

“It is very challenging to come to an agreement when deviating from the path and addressing important security concerns on commercial and financial platforms. We have this consensus principle within the G20. It is not a consensus even if one nation disagrees”, she spoke.

(With input from PTI)

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