India Says Alarmed By China's New Boundary Law, Fears Impact On Existing Deals

India is concerned about China's adoption of a new law on land boundaries, fearing fallout for the existing bilateral agreements on border management, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Wednesday

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2021) India is concerned about China's adoption of a new law on land boundaries, fearing fallout for the existing bilateral agreements on border management, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Wednesday.

On October 23, Beijing passed the new law on land boundaries that, among other things, has provisions on carrying out reorganizations of districts in the border areas.

"In this regard, 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," Bagchi said in a statement. "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 (Line of Actual Control) in India-China Border areas."

The spokesman pointed to the fact that India and China have still outstanding border issues, expressing hope that Beijing will not use the law as a pretext to "unilaterally alter the situation in the India-China border areas.

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"Both sides have agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution to the Boundary Question through consultations on an equal footing. We have also concluded several bilateral agreements, protocols and arrangements to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC in India-China border areas in the interim," the statement read.

The two Asian giants have long been at odds over disputed lands along the so-called Line of Actual Control which they have instead of a marked border. A new whirl of tensions broke out in May 2020, featuring a series of clashes between border forces that led to multiple fatalities.

In a bid to abate tensions, New Delhi and Beijing launched the disengagement consultations in early June 2020, with the first phase of disengagement on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Lake completed this February. However, the situation once again escalated in September prompting both countries to resume troop deployment near the LAC. China has since repeatedly accused India of provocations, while India has rejected all such claims as groundless.