Mumbai: The de-escalation process between India and China in the eastern Ladakh border will take some time, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday. The minister observed that the disengagement of troops at Depsang and Demchok is the first step towards ending hospitalities between the two countries.
Addressing the media in Mumbai, he added that while the step would be de-escalation, it won’t take place until India is assured that China is pushing back its soldiers from the border areas. Notably, in a breakthrough, India and China had last month reached an agreement on patrolling and disengagement in Depsang and Demchok, which ended a four-year-long standoff in eastern Ladakh.
Jaishankar expresses confidence over restoration of 2020 status
Speaking to news agency PTI, he had also expressed confidence that the 2020 status along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) would be restored. “It is obvious it will take time to implement the same. This is the issue of disengagement and patrolling which meant our armies had come very close to each other and now they have gone back to their bases. We hope the 2020 status is restored,” was quoted as saying by the agency. It may be noted that the bilateral ties between India and China deteriorated after June 15, 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in a clash with Chinese soldiers in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.
Breakthrough earlier this week
The disengagement between both sides started on October 23, a couple of days after India and China declared a major breakthrough in negotiations to resolve tensions between Depsang and Demchok. Following the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia’s Kazan earlier this week. This was their first bilateral meeting since 2019.
