China announced on Friday that its troops, along with Indian forces, have disengaged in four critical areas of eastern Ladakh, including the contentious Galwan Valley. This announcement signals a step toward easing tensions between the two nations, with the border situation now being described as “generally stable and under control” by Chinese officials.
During a press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that India and China had reached agreements during high-level meetings in Russia aimed at improving bilateral relations. Mao mentioned that both sides are committed to creating conditions conducive to restoring their relationship, which has been strained due to the military standoff in the region.
“On September 12, Director Wang Yi met with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in St. Petersburg. The two sides discussed progress made in recent consultations on border issues and agreed to deliver on the common understandings reached by leaders of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding and trust, create conditions for improving bilateral ties and maintain communication to this end,” Mao Ning said.
Disengagement in Four Key Areas
Addressing whether the two countries are nearing a breakthrough in normalizing relations, which have remained frozen for over four years, Mao Ning revealed that disengagement had been achieved in four areas along the western sector of the China-India border.
“In recent years, front-line armies of the two countries have realized disengagement in four areas in the Western sector of the China-India border, including the Galwan Valley. The China-India border situation is generally stable and under control,” Mao Ning added.
India-China Relations: A Long Road Ahead
These developments come shortly after India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, provided an update on the status of the disengagement during a session at a think-tank in Geneva. Jaishankar noted that while approximately 75% of the “disengagement problems” with China have been resolved, the larger issue remains the increasing militarization along the border.
“The Galwan Valley clashes of June 2020 affected the entirety of India-China ties,” Jaishankar said. He further emphasized that peaceful relations cannot be achieved if violence persists along the border, stating, “One cannot have violence at the border and then say the rest of the relationship is insulated from it.”
Since the violent clashes in 2020, India and China have been in continuous negotiations to resolve the border disputes. Jaishankar noted that while some progress has been made, significant challenges remain. “I would say roughly you can say about 75 per cent of the disengagement problems are sorted out. We still have some things to do,” he added.
Doval and Wang Yi’s Meeting in St. Petersburg
The recent talks between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) conclave in St. Petersburg, have been seen as a crucial step in this process. Doval and Wang, the Special Representatives for India-China border discussions, reviewed the progress made in resolving the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh.
In a statement following the meeting, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) affirmed that both countries have agreed to work with “urgency” and “redouble” their efforts to achieve complete disengagement from the remaining friction points.
“The meeting gave the two sides an opportunity to review the recent efforts towards finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control, which will create conditions to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations,” the MEA said.
Decades-Long Tensions Persist
Relations between India and China have been at their lowest point in nearly six decades, primarily due to the ongoing standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since April-May 2020. Despite dozens of rounds of diplomatic and military talks, the disengagement process has been slow and arduous.
However, there have been some positive developments, with both sides withdrawing troops from other high-tension areas such as the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, Gogra, and Hot Spring.
India has consistently maintained that normal relations with China cannot be restored until there is lasting peace along the border. To date, both nations have held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks in an attempt to resolve the standoff.
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