Indian Army Chief On China: Disengagement Only After Return to April 2020 Status Quo

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi made it clear on Tuesday that India will only disengage with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh once the situation reverts to the “status quo of April 2020.”

This statement comes following an announcement from New Delhi that India and China have reached a preliminary agreement on disengagement after more than four years of heightened tensions.

India’s Stance On Disengagement

General Dwivedi emphasized that India’s position has been consistent since the standoff began in 2020, with the goal of restoring the trust between the two nations by reverting to the pre-April 2020 situation. “We want to go back to the status quo of April 2020. Thereafter, we will be looking at disengagement, de-escalation, and the normal management of the LAC,” he told.

He added that the current focus is on rebuilding trust between both sides, which was shaken by China’s aggressive posture at the LAC in April-May 2020. General Dwivedi explained that mutual trust will be restored when both sides are confident that neither is encroaching into the newly established buffer zones.

Disengagement Discussions And Progress

The Army Chief’s comments followed an announcement by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who confirmed that India and China had reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC. According to Misri, discussions between Indian and Chinese representatives, held through various diplomatic and military channels, have led to significant progress in resolving standoffs at multiple locations along the LAC.

Misri noted, “We have been in discussions with Chinese interlocutors through the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs) and at the military level. These discussions have resulted in the resolution of standoffs at various locations. An agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and eventual resolution of the issues.”

Rebuilding Bilateral Relations

India has maintained a firm stance that its relations with China can only normalize once the situation along the LAC returns to the pre-2020 status. The standoff, which began in April-May 2020, has severely strained the bilateral relationship between the two nations. Beijing’s aggressive maneuvers at the de-facto border led to a series of confrontations, including the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020.

Despite the recent progress, General Dwivedi stressed the importance of continued diplomatic and military dialogue to ensure long-term peace and stability in the region. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has also echoed these sentiments, stating that the situation along the LAC is gradually returning to what it was before May 2020.

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