Ahead of BRICS Summit, India and China agree on disengagement along LAC in Ladakh
In a major breakthrough, India on Monday announced it has arrived at an agreement with China on patrolling in remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. This follows a series of negotiations between the two sides over the past few weeks, addressing the long-standing dispute. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri indicated that the agreement will lead to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020.
Many experts say this situation reaches the pre-Galwan scenario. It is understood that the agreement pertains to patrolling in Depsang and Demchok areas. “Over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums,” India’s Foreign Secretary said at a media briefing.
“As a result of these discussions, agreement has been arrived at patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,” he said. “We will be taking the next steps on this,” Misri added.
It is not immediately clear whether the agreement facilitates the restoration of patrolling rights that were in place prior to the standoff. The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in the standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved though the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points.
The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. In all negotiations since the standoff began, India has been pressing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas.
Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said roughly 75 percent of the “disengagement problems” with China are sorted out but the bigger issue has been the increasing militarisation of the frontier. “Now those negotiations are going on. We made some progress. I would say roughly you can say about 75 percent of the disengagement problems are sorted out,” he said at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. “We still have some things to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, Strategic Affairs expert Brahma Chellaney said that no end to the military standoff and this is to facilitate a Modi-Xi meeting during the forthcoming BRICS Summit.
No deal announced to end the military standoff but, to facilitate a Modi-Xi meeting during the BRICS summit, India and China agree on a “patrolling arrangement.”
Here’s the irony: The standoff is rooted in China’s violation of bilateral border accords, including on patrolling.
— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) October 21, 2024
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We have history of having been beaten by China. China tried to repeat that after two failed summit in India, without getting India to tow the belt and road initiative line. The push back was unexpected for China. After 10 years the push back is only getting stronger, so the best way out for China is to make amends.