NEW DELHI: India and China took a giant step towards normalisation of bilateral ties as the Indian government announced on Monday, days before a proposed bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping in Russia, that they had completed the contentious disengagement process in eastern Ladakh, bringing to an end the 54-month-old military stand-off in the area.
The two sides reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in border areas leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020, foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced. While Misri did not elaborate, foreign minister S Jaishankar said both sides with this "positive" agreement have returned to the situation that existed in 2020 and the disengagement process has been completed. The minister also said Indian troops will again be able to do patrolling like it did before the stand-off erupted in 2020.
The development, which followed a flurry of meetings between India and China since July this year, has opened the door for a formal bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi on the margins of the Brics summit in Kazan. While the Indian side stopped short of officially confirming it, TOI has learned both sides are working to have the meeting on October 23.
No China comment on LAC pact yet but India to take next steps
It’s likely to coincide with a formal announcement by both sides about the agreement. There was no comment by China on the issue on Monday but Misri said India will be taking the next steps on the agreement reached.
Modi and Xi last had a formal bilateral engagement in 2019. Bilateral visits have been rare since the Galwan clash in June 2020, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, with India maintaining the ties won’t become normal till disengagement is completed and peace and tranquility restored in border areas. That India and China were within striking distance of a deal was obvious also from remarks in recent times by both sides, with Jaishankar underlining that 75% of disengagement issues had been resolved and China talking about “new progress” and narrowing down differences on border issues.
India and China held back-to-back diplomatic talks in July and Aug this year to address the need to expedite disengagement in the remaining areas and Jaishankar, too, twice met his counterpart Wang Yi in July, on the margins of SCO summit in Kazakhstan and in Laos on the sidelines of Asean meetings. The last bilateral talks on the same issue took place between Wang and NSA Ajit Doval in St Petersburg last month. In all, it took India and China 17 rounds of diplomatic and 21 rounds of corps commander-level talks to end the military impasse that plagued the relationship for almost five years.
“We have gone back to where the situation was in 2020. You can say the disengagement process with China has been completed. I’m sure more details will emerge in due course,” said Jaishankar.
Underscoring the importance of ties with China, Modi had said in an interview earlier this year both sides need to urgently address “the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us”. While military disengagement had been achieved earlier at four points, the same remained elusive in Depsang and Demchok, the two friction points.
China maintained that the impasse in these areas were legacy issues that predated the 2020 stand-off and should not be allowed to block resumption of normal bilateral exchanges. However, India, too, steadfastly maintained there couldn’t be any progress in ties till the time disengagement is completed in the remaining areas, calling it an essential basis for peace in the border areas.
The two sides reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in border areas leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020, foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced. While Misri did not elaborate, foreign minister S Jaishankar said both sides with this "positive" agreement have returned to the situation that existed in 2020 and the disengagement process has been completed. The minister also said Indian troops will again be able to do patrolling like it did before the stand-off erupted in 2020.
The development, which followed a flurry of meetings between India and China since July this year, has opened the door for a formal bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi on the margins of the Brics summit in Kazan. While the Indian side stopped short of officially confirming it, TOI has learned both sides are working to have the meeting on October 23.
No China comment on LAC pact yet but India to take next steps
It’s likely to coincide with a formal announcement by both sides about the agreement. There was no comment by China on the issue on Monday but Misri said India will be taking the next steps on the agreement reached.
Modi and Xi last had a formal bilateral engagement in 2019. Bilateral visits have been rare since the Galwan clash in June 2020, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, with India maintaining the ties won’t become normal till disengagement is completed and peace and tranquility restored in border areas. That India and China were within striking distance of a deal was obvious also from remarks in recent times by both sides, with Jaishankar underlining that 75% of disengagement issues had been resolved and China talking about “new progress” and narrowing down differences on border issues.
India and China held back-to-back diplomatic talks in July and Aug this year to address the need to expedite disengagement in the remaining areas and Jaishankar, too, twice met his counterpart Wang Yi in July, on the margins of SCO summit in Kazakhstan and in Laos on the sidelines of Asean meetings. The last bilateral talks on the same issue took place between Wang and NSA Ajit Doval in St Petersburg last month. In all, it took India and China 17 rounds of diplomatic and 21 rounds of corps commander-level talks to end the military impasse that plagued the relationship for almost five years.
“We have gone back to where the situation was in 2020. You can say the disengagement process with China has been completed. I’m sure more details will emerge in due course,” said Jaishankar.
Underscoring the importance of ties with China, Modi had said in an interview earlier this year both sides need to urgently address “the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us”. While military disengagement had been achieved earlier at four points, the same remained elusive in Depsang and Demchok, the two friction points.
China maintained that the impasse in these areas were legacy issues that predated the 2020 stand-off and should not be allowed to block resumption of normal bilateral exchanges. However, India, too, steadfastly maintained there couldn’t be any progress in ties till the time disengagement is completed in the remaining areas, calling it an essential basis for peace in the border areas.
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