Rather than clarification of Line of Actual Control proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in Beijing last month, China reportedly favours a “code of conduct” along the border with India.
Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry Huang Xilian told a news agency that both sides should try to reach an agreement on Code of Conduct as attempts to clarify mutual positions on the LAC had “encountered difficulties” in the past.
“Whatever we do in the border area it should be constructive. That means it should be a building block for the process of negotiations not stumbling block,” said Huang. He further added, “If we find that clarification of the LAC is building block then we should go ahead. But if we find that it is a stumbling block it could complicate the situation further. We have to be careful.”
Hoping to agree on a code of conduct, Huang said, “Our position is that we have to seek some kind of comprehensive measures, not only one measure to control and manage the border to ensure peace and tranquillity along the border. We can try and reach an agreement on the Code of Conduct.”
Responding to the questions about China’s unwillingness to prefer LAC, he was reported saying, “We tried to clarify some years ago but it encountered some difficulties, which led to even complex situation. That is why whatever we do we should make it more conducive to peace and tranquillity for making things easier and not to make them complicated.”
According to reports, China and India do not have a common perception of the alignment of the LAC, throughout its entire stretch of 4,086 kilometers, along the Sino-Indian border.