New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attributed India’s recent breakthrough agreement with China regarding patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to the military’s presence and effective diplomacy.
The disengagement of Indian and Chinese forces at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh commenced on Friday and is scheduled for completion by October 29. Patrolling by both nations is set to resume on October 30-31. Speaking to students in Pune, Jaishankar said that while progress has been made, it is “still a bit early for normalisation of relations,” saying that rebuilding trust and collaboration will take time.
He referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, during which it was agreed that the foreign ministers and National Security Advisors of both countries would convene to discuss future steps.
India stands firm against China
Jaishankar said, “Our current position is a result of our determined efforts to assert our stance. The military has operated under challenging conditions at the LAC to protect the nation, and both military and diplomatic efforts have played crucial roles,” PTI reported. He said that India’s annual resource allocation has increased fivefold over the past decade, which has significantly enhanced military readiness and deployment. “This combination of factors has contributed to our current situation,” he added.
Jaishankar said that since 2020, the border dynamics have been quite unstable, adversely affecting the overall bilateral relationship. “Since September 2020, we have been in negotiations with China to find a resolution,” he said.
He said that the immediate focus is on disengagement, as the proximity of troops on both sides raised the risk of conflict. He also referred to the need for de-escalation due to troop buildups and the broader issue of border management and boundary negotiations. “Currently, our efforts are concentrated on disengagement,” he said.
Both nations make breakthrough
According to Jaishankar, India and China reached some mutual understandings regarding troop movements since 2020, although a major portion of the negotiations revolved around patrolling. “For the past two years, we have been negotiating the resumption of patrols, which had been blocked. What occurred on October 21 was an agreement to restore patrolling in the areas of Depsang and Demchok to previous norms,” he said.
