Breakthrough at LAC: How India, China Achieved Disengagement Agreement After Four Years | Explained

New Delhi: In a significant breakthrough, after more than four and half years of military standoff at the Line of Actual Control, India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement and patrolling at the remaining friction points in the border areas of Eastern Ladakh.

The development comes right ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Russia where he will take part in the 16th BRICS summit. 

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the agreement will lead to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020.

"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," the foreign secretary said at a press conference.

Misri mentioned that both India and China will be taking next steps on the agreement in coming days. 

While the Foreign secretary mentioned the recent developments, it's important to highlight the developments where India and China have been holding back-to-back closed-door meetings at both ministerial, diplomatic, and military levels in recent years. 

31 Diplomatic Meetings, 21 Military Level Talks In Last 4 Years

Two key meetings between Foreign Minister Jaishankar and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, along with 31 rounds of diplomatic discussions and 21 rounds of military talks over four years, laid the groundwork for India and China to reach an agreement on disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Since the Galwan clash in 2020, there were seven points of conflict along the LAC, five of which had seen disengagement. However, troops from both sides remained in a tense standoff in the Depsang Plains and Demchock areas. This situation also became a significant political issue in India, with the Congress party criticizing the Modi government for the alleged presence of Chinese troops on Indian territory.

(EAM Jaishankar and Chinese FM Wang Yi)

Key Meetings Between EAM Jaishankar and Chinese FM Wang Yi

Recently, Jaishankar and Wang Yi met at SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting in Asthana, Kazakhstan, on July 4. According to the sources, both India and China agreed that the continued stalemate in the border areas is not beneficial for either side.

Later that month, both foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' meeting in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Following their discussion, the Indian government had mentioned that it was agreed that disengagement should be completed as soon as possible.

The meeting also agreed to convene an “early meeting” of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) to advance the discussions. This WMCC meeting took place in Delhi on July 31 and again in China on August 29.

In the past four years, there have been a total of 31 rounds of talks under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) and 21 rounds of meetings at the India-China Corps Commander level.

Present Status at the Line of Actual Control

Currently, troops stationed along the LAC remain on high alert, according to officials, but they are taking care to avoid any confrontations that could undermine trust and delay redeployment plans. As a confidence-building measure, local commanders from both sides have been meeting to prevent clashes. 

Some friction points, such as Galwan Valley and the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, as well as the Gogra-Hot Springs area, have seen partial resolutions with the establishment of buffer zones. However, long-standing issues in the Depsang Plains and Demchok persist, with troops in the Depsang Plains being blocked from accessing their patrol points.

The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

In all negotiations since the standoff began, India has been pressing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas.