India-China relations – “unusual” since April 2020, when the two armies clashed in parts of eastern Ladakh, leading to deaths on both sides for the first time in 45 years – have recently improved, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha. on Tuesday, explaining that “continued diplomatic engagement since then has set our relations on a path towards some improvement”.
Mr Jaishankar said India was committed to engaging with China “through bilateral dialogue to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the border issue”.
However, it is clear, he told Parliament, that greater attention will be required to the management of border areas in the light of our recent experiences. He highlighted three key principles to be followed in all circumstances.
First, both sides should strictly respect and follow the LAC. The second is that no one should attempt to change the status quo unilaterally, and the third is that the agreements and understandings reached in the past should be fully adhered to.
“Members will recall the incident of mobilization of large number of troops by China along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in Eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020, which resulted in face-off with our Army at several points. Disruption in patrolling activities. ,” the External Affairs Minister began his remarks.
“It is to the credit of our armed forces that despite the logistical challenges and the then prevailing Covid situation, they were able to respond swiftly and effectively,” he said.
“While a determined counter-deployment of adequate capability was the immediate response, there was also an imperative for a diplomatic effort to de-escalate tensions and restore peace and tranquility.”
That diplomatic effort, which included nearly two dozen rounds of talks between military commanders, most recently on August 29, led to the October agreement, under which Indian and Chinese troops returned to their positions, and the April 2020 face-off. First, resumed patrolling routes. -Close.
Read | “Back to 2020 patrolling”: S Jaishankar tells NDTV on India-China deal
Last week the government had said the agreement had been implemented as agreed.
Read | Army successfully completes patrolling up to key point in Depsang
The agreement – announced hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia for the BRICS summit, which will also be attended by China’s Xi Jinping – was seen as a roadmap for the restoration of peace and tranquility along the LAC. The Indian government often maintains the status quo. This was described as the first and necessary step towards normalizing relations between the two countries.
Read | PM Modi, Xi welcome “complete disengagement” on LAC
On that subject, Mr Jaishankar said the immediate priority of disengagement of troops from friction points in eastern Ladakh, especially in Depsang and Demchok areas, has been “fully achieved”.
The External Affairs Minister said the next priority is to consider de-escalation, which would address the buildup of troops along the Line of Actual Control, which serves as the de facto international border.
Mr Jaishankar’s comments come two weeks after Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun for the first ministerial-level meeting after the withdrawal of troops in eastern Ladakh.
Read | First high-level talks between Defense Ministers of India and China after the withdrawal of troops
Mr Singh and Mr Dong, a former naval commander appointed in December last year, met on the sidelines of the two-day, 10-nation ASEAN summit that began on November 20 in Laos.
The withdrawal of troops and patrolling in Depsang and Demchok follows similar positive actions on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Lake in 2021 and in the disputed Gogra-Hot Springs area in September a year later. In each case both sides retreated from their positions before April 2020.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
