Indian opposition raises doubts over India-China border deal

Despite opposition concerns, analysts expect the deal to proceed driven by economic necessity and a desire to enhance trade between the two Asian giants

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Indian and Chinese army greet each other along the Line of Actual Control on October 31. Photo: Indian Army/AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 11 Dec 2024

India’s opposition has raised concerns about potential territorial concessions under the country’s recent border agreement with China, increasing political scrutiny of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government as it works to ease tensions with Beijing.

The controversy erupted after Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s parliamentary statement on December 4 outlining the disengagement of troops from the border following the deadly 2020 Himalayan border clash.

On Sunday, Jairam Ramesh, a senior leader of the main opposition Congress Party, slammed the agreement in parliament as going against India’s national interests.

“We want to go back to the status quo of April 2020 … thereafter we will be looking at disengagement, de-escalation and normal management of the LAC (Line of Actual Control), referring to the India-China border,” Ramesh was quoted as saying by the Hindu newspaper, hinting that India may have seceded land in the deal.

Congress party member Jairam Ramesh. Photo: Getty Images

However, analysts say opposition pressure is unlikely to derail the thawing of relations between the two Asian giants, who have been pulling back troops since late October after years of being locked virtually eyeball-to-eyeball at two positions on the border.