Major breakthrough as India and China finalise agreement on patrolling in border areas along Line of Actual Control
| 2024-10-21
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addresses the media in New Delhi on October 21, 2024.
This follows intense negotiations between the two sides spread over several weeks
In a major breakthrough following several weeks of intense negotiations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has announced that India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the India-China border, leading to disengagement.
The agreement has led to a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020, Foreign Secretary Misri stated on Monday (October 21, 2024). He explained that Indian and Chinese negotiators at the diplomatic and military levels have been in close contact with each other over the last several weeks in a variety of forums.
The announcement came during a special media briefing by the Indian Foreign Secretary ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Kazan, Russia to attend the BRICS Summit on October 22-23, 2024, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will also be present.
“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. As a result of the discussions, an agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border area and this is leading to dis-engagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,” Foreign Secretary Misri said.
“We have reached an agreement on the issues that were being discussed,” he said in response to a question on the matter.
Asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Secretary Misri said this was a multilateral event though there was always a provision for bilateral meetings on the sidelines. “There are a number of requests for bilateral meetings,” he said, adding that the Indian side was currently looking into the overall programme of Prime Minister Modi.
In June 2020, a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh had led to a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley. Twenty Indian soldiers had lost their lives. A large number of Chinese troops were also killed though China has never officially confirmed the actual number of deaths.
Multiple rounds of talks at the military and diplomatic levels since then led to a disengagement at several locations but the subsequent meetings did not see announcements of fresh disengagement along the remaining friction points along LAC in the Western Sector in the Eastern Ladakh region.
The most recent talks between the two sides - the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) - held in Beijing on August 29, 2024, was described by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “frank, constructive and forward-looking”. The discussions were in line with the guidance provided by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Astana (Kazakhstan) and Vientiane (Laos) in July this year.
“In line with the guidance provided by two Foreign Ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024 to accelerate their discussion, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month, the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues,” the MEA said in a statement.
During the meeting, the two sides agreed for intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels, the MEA added.
The agreement has led to a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020, Foreign Secretary Misri stated on Monday (October 21, 2024). He explained that Indian and Chinese negotiators at the diplomatic and military levels have been in close contact with each other over the last several weeks in a variety of forums.
The announcement came during a special media briefing by the Indian Foreign Secretary ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Kazan, Russia to attend the BRICS Summit on October 22-23, 2024, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will also be present.
“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. As a result of the discussions, an agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border area and this is leading to dis-engagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,” Foreign Secretary Misri said.
“We have reached an agreement on the issues that were being discussed,” he said in response to a question on the matter.
Asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Secretary Misri said this was a multilateral event though there was always a provision for bilateral meetings on the sidelines. “There are a number of requests for bilateral meetings,” he said, adding that the Indian side was currently looking into the overall programme of Prime Minister Modi.
In June 2020, a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh had led to a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley. Twenty Indian soldiers had lost their lives. A large number of Chinese troops were also killed though China has never officially confirmed the actual number of deaths.
Multiple rounds of talks at the military and diplomatic levels since then led to a disengagement at several locations but the subsequent meetings did not see announcements of fresh disengagement along the remaining friction points along LAC in the Western Sector in the Eastern Ladakh region.
The most recent talks between the two sides - the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) - held in Beijing on August 29, 2024, was described by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “frank, constructive and forward-looking”. The discussions were in line with the guidance provided by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Astana (Kazakhstan) and Vientiane (Laos) in July this year.
“In line with the guidance provided by two Foreign Ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024 to accelerate their discussion, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month, the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues,” the MEA said in a statement.
During the meeting, the two sides agreed for intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels, the MEA added.
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