Relationship with China cannot be held hostage to only boundary issues: Former CDS Chauhan
A former Chief of Defence Staff, delivering a lecture on India's security challenges, described China as posing a "long-term and comprehensive challenge" distinct from other threats facing India.
He acknowledged that the India-China boundary dispute remains unresolved, and that the two sides do not even have a mutually agreed definition of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Despite this, he argued that the bilateral relationship cannot be reduced to, or held hostage by, the boundary question alone, since it also spans trade, technology, and multilateral cooperation.
He referred to ongoing engagement channels, including the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question and India's participation alongside China in groupings such as the SCO and BRICS.
The Line of Actual Control (LAC)
The LAC is the notional line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory, distinct from the international border, and is not physically demarcated on maps or on the ground. Unlike the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, which was formalised under the 1972 Shimla Agreement, the LAC has never been mutually delineated, leading to differing perceptions of its alignment in several sectors.
The former CDS's statement that there is "no mutually agreed definition even on the LAC" underscores why border patrolling and infrastructure disputes recur despite decades of talks, and why disengagement agreements (such as the 2024 Depsang-Demchok understanding) address specific friction points rather than the boundary as a whole.
Special Representatives (SR) Mechanism on the India-China Boundary Question
The SR mechanism is the dedicated political-level channel tasked with negotiating a framework for a final boundary settlement, distinct from military-level Corps Commander talks and from routine diplomatic engagement. It was first proposed in principle during a 1979 visit by the then external affairs minister, and formally established through a 2003 agreement during a prime ministerial visit to China.
The former CDS's reference to recent SR-level talks between India's National Security Adviser and China's Foreign Minister illustrates that India pursues boundary resolution and broader ties through parallel institutional tracks, consistent with the "relationship cannot be held hostage to boundary issues alone" framing.
Multilateral Engagement with China: SCO and BRICS
India engages China simultaneously through bilateral boundary talks and multilateral platforms where both are members, reflecting a "compete and cooperate" approach in the relationship. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), founded in 2001 with headquarters in Beijing, and BRICS, an informal grouping formed in 2009 (with South Africa joining in 2010), are the two principal such platforms.
Key Details
- SCO members include India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Central Asian states; India became a full member in 2017.
- BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) has since 2024 expanded to include additional members such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE.
- Both groupings operate on consensus and are seen as vehicles for a "multipolar" world order, a stated goal of Indian foreign policy.
The former CDS's mention of an anticipated Chinese leadership visit for a BRICS-related summit illustrates how India continues high-level multilateral engagement with China even as bilateral boundary talks remain unresolved, reinforcing the idea that the relationship is managed on multiple tracks simultaneously.
- The Special Representatives mechanism on the India-China boundary question was established in 2003; more than 20 rounds of talks have since been held.
- The 2005 India-China agreement on "Political Parameters and Guiding Principles" remains the key reference framework for eventual boundary settlement.
- The LAC has three sectors (Western, Middle, Eastern) and, unlike the Pakistan-facing LoC (1972 Shimla Agreement), has never been jointly delineated on a map.
- India formally joined the SCO as a full member in 2017; BRICS was formed in 2009 and expanded in 2024.