GUWAHATI: India and China have reached an agreement to resume patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, a move expected to lead to disengagement and eventual resolution of the border issues that escalated back in 2020.
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This announcement comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia for the 16th BRICS Summit, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"Over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact across various forums,” said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday. “As a result, an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC has been achieved, leading to disengagement and an eventual resolution of issues that arose in 2020."
The agreement focuses on the contentious Depsang and Demchok areas of eastern Ladakh.
Asked about a potential bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, scheduled for October 22-23, Misri stated that discussions were still ongoing to finalize the timing and engagements.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hailed the development as a "major breakthrough." He acknowledged that frictions between large nations are not uncommon, but emphasized that this agreement represents significant progress toward restoring normalcy along the LAC.
Tensions between the Indian and Chinese militaries have been high since May 2020, when a standoff began at multiple points along the LAC. The Galwan incident, in which 20 Indian soldiers and an estimated 40 Chinese soldiers died, marked the deadliest confrontation between the two nations since the 1962 war.