Beijing : China said that its new land border law will not affect the implementation of existing border treaties and urged relevant countries to avoid making “wanton speculation” about a “normal domestic legislation”, a day after India raised concerns over the legislation.
China’s national legislature – the National People’s Congress (NPC) – on October 23 adopted the new law on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas which drew sharp reaction from India as it was passed amid the protracted military standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh region. India and Bhutan are the two countries with which China is yet to finalise the border agreements, while Beijing resolved the boundary disputes with 12 other neighbours. While the India-China border dispute covers 3,488-km along the Line of Actual Control, the China-Bhutan row covers about 400 km.
On Wednesday, India hit out at Beijing for bringing out the new land border law and said it expects China to avoid taking any action under the “pretext” of the legislation that could “unilaterally” alter the situation in the border areas. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi described China’s decision to bring out the law as a matter of “concern” as it can have implications on the existing bilateral pacts on the management of the border and the overall boundary question.
“China’s unilateral decision to bring about a legislation which can have implication on our existing bilateral arrangements on border management as well as on the boundary question is of concern to us,” he said.
“Such unilateral move will have no bearing on the arrangements that both sides have already reached earlier, whether it is on the boundary question or for maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC in India-China border areas,” he said.
Responding to questions on the Land Border Law, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, “The law has clear provisions on conducting cooperation with countries sharing a national land boundary with China and handling boundary affairs on the basis of adhering to relevant treaties related to national land boundary affairs and the principle of equality and mutual benefit.”
In an apparent response to India’s concerns, he said, “It will not affect China’s compliance with existing treaties related to national land boundary affairs China has already signed or change China’s current mode of boundary management and cooperation with countries sharing a land boundary with it. Nor will it alter China’s position and proposition on relevant boundary issues.” To a specific question about India’s criticism of the law, Wang said, “I just shared China’s consideration behind promulgating the National Land Boundary Law. We hope relevant countries will abide by norms of international relations and refrain from wanton speculations on China’s normal domestic legislation”.
He, however, did not respond to Bagchi’s remark that the “new law does not in our view confer any legitimacy to the so-called China Pakistan “Boundary Agreement” of 1963 which the Government of India has consistently maintained is an illegal and invalid agreement.” Under the agreement, Pakistan had surrendered approximately 5,300 km of territory to China in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) region. Earlier, elaborating on the provisions of the new law adopted by the NPC last week, Wang said President Xi Jinping signed a decree No. 99 on the same day announcing that the law will come into effect from January 1, 2022……..AGENCIES