Ajit Karn
New Delhi: China and India will encounter “difficulties” as a result of the border situation, but neither country wants war or confrontation, according to Ma Jia, charge d’affaires at the Chinese embassy.
Ma, speaking at a media briefing, described the situation along the border regions as “very complicated” and stated that it was not easy to reach an agreement, which is why the two countries were holding discussions through the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and the senior commander-level meetings.
She stated that the situation regarding the Ukraine issue had “intensified” since the consensus reached at the G20 Summit in Bali and that it was now “harder to reach an accommodation.”
Her comments were made against the backdrop of a joint statement issued after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, which indicated that the two parties will oppose the use of multilateral platforms to address “irrelevant issues.”
After Sun Weidong’s term as ambassador to India ended in October of last year, China has yet to designate a replacement. Ma, a senior diplomat, has been in command of the New Delhi mission.
Previously, in her sui moto remarks, Ma stated that the current border situation was stable and that China and India were maintaining communication through the established channels – Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and senior commander level meetings.
“There are challenges, I just stated that. However, we must confront it. Additionally, we are confident that China and India do not desire conflict. None of us desires a conflict. In her assessment of the border situation, the senior Chinese diplomat in India stated that neither side desires confrontation along the frontier.
She stated that the border issue has existed for many years and that it was difficult to reach an agreement.
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“This is why we continue to discuss it. We must confront the issues and communicate. I believe that both parties intend to enhance relations. “Our two leaders have already reached agreement on this, and I believe we can find a solution,” Ma said.
In light of indications that Russia and China will oppose elevating the Ukraine issue on multilateral platforms, the Chinese diplomat stated that it would be difficult to reach a consensus at the G20 if “prominent security issues” were brought up at a forum established to discuss economic and financial matters.
