India and China reach complete disengagement deal as Modi and Xi finalise the agreement in Kazan

The Kazan BRICS Summit on October 23 marked a historic moment as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines to finalise a breakthrough agreement on border disengagement. This bilateral meeting, the first in five years, comes after years of strained relations following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, which led to a tense standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The resolution at Kazan is the result of months of high-level diplomatic and military negotiations, culminating in a commitment to complete disengagement at the disputed border. Tensions at the India-China border had been simmering since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, where soldiers from both nations lost their lives in the most severe border conflict between the two countries in over four decades. The incident exacerbated existing disagreements and led to a military standoff at multiple points along the LAC, including the Depsang Plains and Demchok. Despite some disengagement efforts over the years, troops from both sides remained in a face-off at key locations.

Efforts to resolve the standoff included 31 rounds of diplomatic meetings and 21 rounds of military talks over the past four years. Two crucial meetings between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in July helped pave the way for a comprehensive resolution. Despite pressure from the United States to adopt a more confrontational approach toward Beijing, Modi’s outreach to Russia, a key ally of China, proved instrumental in bringing about a shift in China’s stance. The Kazan summit saw both leaders agree on a roadmap for the complete disengagement of troops along the LAC, with an emphasis on expediting the process. The plan involves a phased approach, starting with the immediate cessation of confrontational positions at disputed areas, followed by the re-initiation of patrolling along agreed sections of the border. The final phase will be the de-induction of troops, which will proceed under India’s “watch and verify” policy to ensure that China upholds its commitments.The disengagement deal marks a significant step in stabilising bilateral relations between two the world’s largest nations. But it is just the beginning and there is a long way to go. Indeed disengaging on borders would ease the tensions but the core issues of border disputes still remain unresolved. Now is the time to build upon this breakthrough and take this process forward and make it a permanent solution so that these untoward incidents do not happen again. It will be a great relief for the business community on both sides which was facing multiple issues in trading with each other due to strained relations between the two countries. Kazan agreement has opened a path for dialogue and cooperation, setting the stage for the two Asian giants to navigate their differences and work towards a peaceful and stable future.