Stating that China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are “sacred and non-violent”, the country’s national legislature has adopted a new law on the protection and exploitation of land border areas, which could have implications for Beijing’s border dispute with India.
Members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) approved the legislation at the concluding meeting of a legislative session on Saturday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The law, which comes into force from January 1 next year, stipulates that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacrosanct and non-violent”, it said. The report states that the state shall take measures to protect the territorial integrity and boundaries of land and shall refrain from any act that undermines the territorial sovereignty and boundaries of land.
The law also stipulates that the state will open up border areas, improve public services and infrastructure in such areas, encourage and support people’s lives, as well as strengthen border defence, support economic and social development. Will take measures to do and work there. Coordination between border defense and socio-economic development in the border areas, it said.
The State shall, adhering to the principle of equality, mutual trust and friendly consultation, handle land boundary matters with neighboring countries through dialogue to properly resolve disputes and long standing border issues.
India and Bhutan are the two countries with which China is yet to finalize border agreements, while Beijing has settled border disputes with 12 other neighbours. Last week, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the incidents along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh have “severely disturbed” the peace and tranquility in the border areas, and it clearly has an impact on wider relations as well. Is kept.
The Foreign Secretary, in his remarks at a symposium on “Leveraging China’s Economy” on October 21, also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks that India and China’s ability to work together will determine the Asian century. “For this, peace and tranquility in the border areas is necessary. He (Jaishankar) has also clearly stated that the development of our relations can only be based on reciprocity – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and its guidance to mutual interests,” he said. The process should be done,” Shringla said.
“We hope that the Chinese side will work with us to bring about a satisfactory solution to the current issues so that progress can be made on our bilateral relations, taking into account each other’s sensitivity, aspirations and interests,” the foreign secretary said. While the India-China border dispute along the Line of Actual Control covers 3,488 km, the Sino-Bhutan dispute covers about 400 km.
The new land boundary law was adopted amid the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh. On 14 October, China and Bhutan signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen a three-stage roadmap to accelerate border talks, which Beijing said would make a meaningful contribution to speeding up border talks and establishing diplomatic ties. Will give
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