‘Fragile and dangerous’: S Jaishankar on situation between India, China in Himalayan front

• The situation has been calmed through rounds of diplomatic and military talks
• Jaishankar also recalled the time when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time 
• "I told him that you are the first chief minister who has asked for a national security briefing," Jaishankar said

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said the military forces of India and China are deployed very close to each other in some parts, saying the situation between the two countries in the western Himalayan region of Ladakh remains fragile and dangerous.

"The situation in my opinion still remains very fragile because there are places where our deployments are very close and therefore quite dangerous according to the military assessment," Jaishankar told as per reports.

As many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed and more than 40 Chinese soldiers were killed or injured after the two sides clashed in the Galwan Valley in mid-2020. However, the situation calmed down following rounds of diplomatic and military negotiations.

Jaishankar also recalled when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time. “I met PM Modi in 2011 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He came to China and I was the ambassador at the time. He asked me for a briefing on our problems with China. So I told him about the visa issue, the Northern Command issue, among others," said Jaishankar as per reports.

“I told him you are the first chief minister to ask for a meeting on national security. He said, 'Look, I have come to China and I don't want to say anything that is a millimeter different from my national theme and I have to be very careful,'" he added.