China’s Defense Ministry claims that the India Border Issue is “Left Over From History.”

In opposition to New Delhi’s steadfast stance amid the continuing border disputes with Beijing, the Chinese defense ministry on Thursday characterized India-China border tensions as “an issue left over from history and not the whole of China-India relations”.

In certain places of eastern Ladakh that have caused tension, Indian and Chinese soldiers have been engaged in combat for over four years, despite having completed their pullout from a number of locations after many rounds of military and diplomatic negotiations. Following the confrontation in the Galwan Valley in June 2020—the most significant military conflict between the two sides in decades—the relationship between the two neighbors fell apart.

Reuters cited spokeswoman Wu Qian as stating at a monthly news conference that “it is unwise and inappropriate for the Indian side to insist on linking the border situation with bilateral relations.” This statement was made a few weeks after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the border conflict between the two nations would continue to affect trade and economic ties between India and China. He said this during a town hall gathering in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Minister Jaishankar restated New Delhi’s position that normal ties between the two countries are impossible until there is a decisive settlement at the border and the military continue to interact face to face. He said earlier this month, “I have explained to my Chinese counterpart that you should not expect that the rest of the relations will go on in a normal manner, it is impossible, unless you find a solution on the border, if the forces will remain face-to-face and there will be tension.”

According to certain media reports from January, if the border between China and India remained quiet, India could be able to relax its strict monitoring of Chinese investments. New Delhi hasn’t, however, formally responded to these claims. Jaishankar has emphasized that bilateral relations should be founded on mutual understanding, respect, sensitivity, and interest, and that India should approach China with “realism” in mind.