India’s attempt to garner international support over its border clash with China fell flat, as Europe’s powerhouse Germany has expressed only “concerns” but refused to take side in the conflict.
Germany on Friday said that the recent reports of border clashes between Chinese and Indian troops are "worrying." "Such provocations must be avoided. Disputed issues must be resolved amicably by both parties in bilateral talks," Christofer Burger, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a weekly press conference in Berlin.
However, Burger welcomed Chinese and Indian diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the border conflict. "It is positive that contacts were made immediately on both sides, which prevented the situation from escalating further," he said.
German Ambassador in New Delhi Philipp Ackermann, however, said that the Indian side should understand the European position on the issue since the Ukraine war is having a “very big impact” across the continent, in terms of energy prices, refugees and the fallout on the global rules-based order.
Chinese and Indian troops have clashed in a disputed Himalayan border region for the first time in more than two years, with reports of dozens injured.
At least 20 Indian soldiers were injured in the skirmishes on December 9 in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian army said on Tuesday.
The border clash was the most serious since June 2020, when at least 24 soldiers died in violent clashes, and came in the wake of months of major acts of disengagement by both militaries in the long-running dispute.
Indian military commanders had reportedly met their Chinese counterparts on Dec. 11 to ask the Chinese side to uphold peace.
According to an Indian army statement, both sides “immediately disengaged from the area” after the military face-off.
Indian intellectual Ashok Swain also commented on the issue saying Germany is expressing concerns on India-China border clashes but refusing to take Indian side. “Cheap oil from Russia is not that cheap, after all,” he added.
https://twitter.com/ashoswai/status/1603892620857589763
‘Very concerned’, says German envoy
The skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh is a matter of concern and there should be no violation of international borders, German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann said.
Ackermann acknowledged during an interview that while European countries now have a greater understanding of India’s position on the Ukraine conflict, they also hope the Indian side understands the European position since the war is having a “very big impact” across the continent, in terms of energy prices, refugees and the fallout on the global rules-based order.
Following German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock’s recent visit to India, both sides have agreed to stay in close contact at the top level on the issue of China and Russia, the envoy said, noting that the relationship with these two countries is a “strategic geopolitical priority”.
Referring to the border clash, the German envoy said: “I’m not fully aware of every detail, what I’m reading are media reports, but I can say that we are very concerned. We should avoid violation at international borders at all times.”
He added, “There was violence in the western part [of the LAC], there is violence in the eastern part. I think this is a matter of concern. There shouldn’t be violence.”
Ackermann further said, “We in Europe see this war of aggression of Russia in our daily lives when it comes to energy prices, refugees or dealing with Russians, and at all levels. But on an abstract level, it’s a concern for the whole world because it’s a breach of international law.”
Asked if the Ukraine conflict has implications for the rules-based order in other parts of the world, he replied, “Absolutely, frankly, this is what we see. You may say it’s not our part of the world, but what we see is a blatant violation of international law and we should only try hard to not make these violations happen. What we’ve seen in Arunachal [Pradesh] lately is also kind of just that.”
Expressing confidence that the Indian presidency of the G20 will be able to bridge divisions caused within the grouping by the Ukraine crisis, Ackermann said: “We have high hopes, but I think the guess is certainly not unfounded that this conflict will play a role in the G20. You can’t exclude it.”
While European states have “understood the Indian position [on the Ukraine crisis] to a certain extent”, they “hope the Indians have also understood the European position to a certain extent. The war in Ukraine is something that is having a very big impact on our daily life in Europe. It’s not only for Germany or Ukraine, it’s for the whole continent,” he added.