 |
|
After four years of military standoff, India and China have reached a significant agreement on patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a development that could pave the way for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at the upcoming BRICS Summit in Russia. The agreement, announced by India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, signifies a major breakthrough in resolving the contentious border issues that have strained bilateral relations since 2020.
The agreement, reached through multiple rounds of diplomatic and military discussions, essentially returns the situation to the pre-2020 status quo on the LAC. The disengagement process, according to India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, has been completed. While there has been no official statement from the Chinese side, Jaishankar described the agreement as a positive development achieved through patient diplomacy.
The agreement revolves around patrolling arrangements along the LAC, addressing the issues that arose in 2020. Both sides had blocked access to patrolling points since the standoff began, but with the agreement, they are expected to resume patrolling as they did in 2020. This understanding is crucial for restoring peace and tranquility to the border, a condition that India has consistently emphasized as necessary for normalizing bilateral relations.
The development has generated hope for a meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. The two leaders last interacted formally at the G20 Summit in Indonesia in November 2022. While no official details have been released regarding such a meeting, sources familiar with the matter consider it a positive step forward, highlighting the importance of the possible outcome of the meeting.
The standoff on the LAC began in May 2020 with a skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops at Pangong Lake. The situation escalated in June 2020 with a brutal clash at Galwan Valley, leading to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops. This incident marked the first fatalities on the LAC in 45 years and plunged bilateral relations to their lowest point since the 1962 border war.
The agreement on patrolling arrangements is a significant step towards resolving the border dispute and restoring trust between India and China. However, experts caution that regaining trust after such a protracted standoff won't be easy. The militaries of both countries will have to navigate mutual animosities among their troops deployed on the ground. The full impact on bilateral dynamics remains to be seen, but this agreement demonstrates the potential for India and China to mend fences if willing.
The agreement is a testament to the importance of sustained dialogue and diplomacy in resolving complex international issues. The path ahead will require both sides to continue working towards building trust and cooperation, ensuring peace and stability along the LAC, and fostering a constructive relationship for the benefit of both nations.
Source: India, China reach agreement on patrolling along LAC after 4 years