Dharamshala, 25th October: China’s national legislature has adopted a new law on the protection and exploitation of land border areas, stating that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are “sacred and inviolable,” which could have an impact on Beijing’s border conflict with India. The law, which takes effect on January 1 next year, states that “the People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is sacrosanct and inviolable.”
The Land Borders Law will not change the way border security is handled, but it does indicate China’s growing confidence in its capacity to regulate its borders. The state must take steps to protect the territorial integrity and land borders, as well as watch against and oppose any conduct that jeopardizes them, according to the report. The People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police Force of China are in charge of protecting the border against an “invasion, incursion, infiltration, or provocation.”
China’s border can be closed if a nearby war or other armed conflict threatens border security, according to the legislation. It stated that the state will address land border-related concerns with neighboring nations through dialogue to properly settle disputes and long-standing border issues, based on the principles of equality, mutual trust, and friendly consultation.
The Chinese military is required by law to “carry out border tasks,” which include “organizing drills” and “resolutely prohibit, stop, and combat invasion, encroachment, provocation, and other acts.” State support for the development of border towns, as well as improving their functioning and expanding the supporting capacity for the construction, is a key feature of the new law.
The bill was passed by members of the National People’s Congress’s standing committee at the end of a parliamentary session on Saturday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. The law also states that the state must take steps to strengthen border defense, support economic and social development, and open up border areas, improve public services and infrastructure, encourage and support people’s lives and work, and promote coordination between border defense and social and economic development in border areas.
China has been bolstering its border infrastructure in recent years, including the construction of air, rail, and road networks. It also opened a bullet train line in Tibet that runs all the way to Nyingchi, a border town near Arunachal Pradesh. In addition, China began building a number of communities near the border in Tibet with sufficient infrastructure, which have become a crucial and successful aspect of border defense, according to the state-run Global Times on October 19.
China has yet to finalize border accords with two countries: India and Bhutan. On October 14, China and Bhutan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a three-step pathway for accelerating border negotiations, which Beijing claims will make a “significant contribution” to speeding up border talks and diplomatic ties.
While the boundary disputes between India and China span 3,488 kilometers along the LAC, the China-Bhutan conflict is just about 400 kilometers long. The new land boundary regulation was enacted as the Indian and Chinese forces continue to clash in eastern Ladakh.