China's new map row: Kapil Sibal recollects PM Modi's ‘laal ankh’ for Beijing, questions India's negotiation capacity

livemint.com:

Narendra Modi had met on the side lines of BRICS summit and sought that the LAC stand-off be solved as soon as possible. Senior advocate of Supreme Court and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said that China asserting claim on Arunachal Pradesh is ‘not a new thing’. ""We already know that the Aksai Chin has been under China for many years...That is not a new thing...China's claim on some portions of Arunachal Pradesh is also not a new thing..." Kapil Sibal said in an interview to news agency ANI.

Sibal also took a jibe at PM Modi and said, “When the Prime Minister was in opposition, he used to say that we should show 'laal aankh' to China...But now it appears that the talks take place by sitting in the same swing". See the video here “External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) himself has said that China is bigger economic power than us...This statement shows that we do not have much negotiation capacity...There have been negotiations at several levels and the External Affairs Minister says that Chinese troops should withdraw... But this will not happen as they have done construction there and this will be the status quo...", Sibal further added.

According to satellite images provided to Hindustan Times by Maxar Technologies, China seems to amped up construction of underground bunkers in Aksai Chin, only 70 kilometres away from Line of Actual Control (LAC). "The External Affairs Minister often makes statements that this is objectionable and we do not accept it, which is right...But the solution will not come by making statements... A solution can be achieved when we become a big economic power.