He cited Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh’s account that India faced three adversaries—including China—during the operation, with China providing “live inputs” to Pakistan. Ramesh further warned that Pakistan may soon acquire Chinese J‑35 stealth fighters.
Escalating his critique, Ramesh accused China of weaponising trade elements vital to India’s infrastructure and manufacturing. He highlighted Beijing’s ongoing restrictions on essential exports: rare‑earth magnets, specialty fertilisers and tunnel‑boring machines—crucial for telecoms, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and large infrastructure projects. He noted that since April, both magnets and fertilisers have been blocked, and TBMs for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet‑train have stalled at Chinese ports.
Ramesh reminded that India’s trade gap with China had reached a record US$99.2 billion. He also pointed to operational disruptions in Foxconn’s production, where mass departures of Chinese workers risked undermining India’s efforts to become a global hub for smartphone manufacturing.
On the security front, Ramesh said patrolling along the Line of Actual Control—seen in sectors like Depsang, Demchok and Chumar—still relies on Chinese concurrence. He warned buffer zones in Galwan, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso remained within India’s claimed line, hindering patrol access since April 2020.
Central to the row is Jaishankar’s assertion, during meetings with China’s Han Zheng on 14 July in Beijing, that ties had been “steadily improving” since the leaders’ meeting in Kazan last October. The External Affairs Minister reportedly told Chinese counterparts that normalisation could bring mutual benefits.
The Congress leader demanded a full parliamentary debate on China’s evolving role in the region. He invoked precedent: Parliament held detailed discussions during the 1962 border crisis. He pressed Prime Minister Modi and Jaishankar to bring the current China policy under scrutiny in the upcoming monsoon session.
Ramesh argued that it was crucial to forge national consensus in view of China’s status—the world’s leading manufacturer, second‑largest economy and its potential to overtake the US within a decade.
From Beijing, Jaishankar, attending the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, has advocated cautious optimism. He underlined progress in border de‑escalation and the diplomatic groundwork for peace along the LAC. He also raised India’s trade grievances, calling on China to remove “restrictive trade measures and roadblocks” during talks with both Wang Yi and Han Zheng on 14 July.
As India navigates diplomatic engagement with China, the debate within domestic politics reflects a tension between strategic caution and economic interdependence. Congressional calls for transparency on defence, trade, and territorial integrity underscore the challenge ahead.