Chinese New Border Law

CONTEXT :

Recently, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s ceremonial but top legislative body, passed a new land law for the “protection and exploitation of the country’s land border areas” which will come into effect from January 1.

IMPORTANT POINTERS :

• According to Xinhua, the state media, it states that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of…China are sacred and inviolable”, and asks the state to “take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land boundaries and guard against and combat any act that undermines [these]”.
• It aims 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.
• China shares its 22,457-km land boundary with 14 countries including India, the third longest after the borders with Mongolia and Russia. Unlike the Indian border, however, China’s borders with these two countries are not disputed. The only other country with which China has disputed land borders is Bhutan (477 km).
• Gautam Bambawale, who served as India’s ambassador to China in 2017-18 states that the law has no implications for the question of settling the border dispute, which the two countries have been negotiating for several decades now.
• Other concerns of India includes

• China has been building “well-off” border defence villages across the LAC in all sectors. Dual civil and military use of border villages is a concern for India.
• China has always been using the civil population to reinforce their claims. The most recent example would be the situation in Demchok, where some “so called civilians” have pitched tents on the Indian side of the LAC, and the issue is yet to be resolved.
• If the idea revolves around settling the commoners around the disputed borders, then resolving the issues would become more difficult and worrisome.

Sources

• The Indian Express
• The Hindu