Beijing: China has adopted a new law asserting that sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country are “sacred and inviolable. The new law adopted by country’s national legislature on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas, which could have bearing on Beijing’s border dispute with India.
On Saturday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) approved the law at the closing meeting of a legislative session.
The law, which becomes operational from January 1 next year, stipulates that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable”, it said.
The state shall take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land boundaries and guard against and combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries, the report said.
The law also states that the state shall take measures to strengthen border defence, support economic and social development as well as opening-up in border areas, improve public services and infrastructure in such areas, encourage and support people’s life and work there, and promote coordination between border defence and social, economic development in border areas.
The state shall, following the principle of equality, mutual trust and friendly consultation, handle land border-related affairs with neighbouring countries through negotiations to properly resolve disputes and longstanding border issues, it said.
China is yet to finalise the border agreements with India and Bhutan, while Beijing resolved the boundary disputes with 12 other neighbours.
Last week, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh have “seriously disturbed” the peace and tranquillity in border areas, and this has obviously had an impact on the broader relationship too.
The foreign secretary, in his remarks at a seminar on “Leveraging China’s Economy” on Oct 21, also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks that the ability of India and China to work together will determine the Asian century.
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