Hurriyet Daily News
01/11/2025
By Michiko Putri Alifa Maura
November 1, 2025 – The UNSC Council Meeting assembled today aimed at unpacking the territorial dispute along the Sino-Indian border. The session uncovered a profound split between members on how to approach the conflict, going between calls for non-interference and demands for multilateral engagement.
The General Speakers List (GSL) immediately highlighted the main conflict between the two Asian giants. The debate focused on the strategic importance of the Western Sector (Aksai Chin, administered by China but claimed by India) and the Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh, claimed by China but administered by India).
The delegate of China stands firmly in promoting mutual understanding but contradictively stating the nation's rejection of any interference from foreign bodies, including the United Nations as a whole. This stance set a challenging ambience for the whole continuation of the meeting itself.
While the meeting goes back and forth leading to the same root problems and the inability to reach a common ground, Sierra Leone takes a courageous step in persuading the Council to first "understand the problem" before rushing to premature solutions.
The second moderated caucus pinpointed the effectiveness of past Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) which, despite decades of implementation, failed to prevent the unwanted as witnessed in 2020, 1993, and 1992.
Among all, Japan was the most critical, arguing that the cycle of recurrent conflicts proved that existing CBMs "don't work." The Japanese delegation initiated new negotiations to establish a definitive, new borderline, by collaborating cartographers under the UN body in the aim to state a clear definitive border of both areas. However, China still regards this move as an “external intervention” and therefore rejects the implementation and positive initiative coming from Japan.
The United States provided a stark assessment, noting that CBMs require stability, which is impossible to achieve when "both sides are not willing to find a middle ground." The U.S. proposes a persistent discussion to find common ground.
Perhaps the most pragmatic intervention came from Panama, which dismissed CBMs as merely "paper promises" due to a lack of enforcement and accountability. Panama proposed a more tangible solution by cooperating with inspections by third parties to foster trust and transparency along the LAC.
The session concluded with Japan asking how proposed solutions would be executed, but went unanswered amidst the lack of consensus. The most significant roadblock remains China’s refusal to allow external interference and India’s willingness to bring the issue to the UN—suggesting the legitimacy of the Council’s discussion.
The Council is expected to find a path forward, but as the representative of Sierra Leone noted, understanding the profound complexity of the territorial and political issues must precede any attempt at lasting resolution.