Troop disengagement process at two friction points in Depsang Valley and Demchok at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh is complete. Patrolling by India and China will commence soon as agreed upon between the two countries. The two sides will exchange sweets on Thursday on the occasion of Diwali.
Giving this information here on Wednesday, sources said the local commanders of the level of Brigadier from both the sides will continue their talks. The two officials will decide on patrolling modalities in the two areas, they said. India on October 21 announced that the two countries have reached an agreement on patrolling.
Sources said that verification post-disengagement is in progress and patrolling modalities are to be decided between ground commanders. On October 25, sources here said the disengagement process was likely to get completed by October 28-29.
The agreement framework was signed first at the diplomatic level and then military-level talks took place, they had said, adding the nitty-gritty of the agreement was worked on during the Corps Commander-level talks which was signed last week.
Adhering to agreements between the two sides, Indian troops then began to pull back equipment to rear locations in these areas.
The process follows the agreement firmed up between the two countries on patrolling and disengagement of troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, a major breakthrough to end the over four-year standoff.
Ties between the two Asian countries had nosedived following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. Sources earlier said the areas and patrolling status were expected to be moved back to pre-April 2020 level.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on October 21 had said in New Delhi the agreement was finalised following negotiations over the past several weeks and that it would lead to a resolution of the issues that arose in 2020.
On October 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping endorsed the agreement on patrolling and disengagement along the LAC in eastern Ladakh during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan in Russia.
In Kolkata, Ambassador of China to India Xu Feihong on Wednesday called the recent meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of BRICS Summit at Kazan in Russia ‘very important’.
The diplomat qualified the talks, the first formal one between the two leaders in the past five years, had reached an important understanding and set guidelines for further development of relations between the two neighbours.
Speaking at a session organised by the Merchant Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chinese diplomat said both the leaders reached important common understandings on improving and developing Indo-China relations and set the course to steer bilateral ties back on the path of steady development. The meeting between Modi and Xi was held in Russia’s Kazan on October 23.
Responding to a question on the completed Indo-China border disengagement in Eastern Ladakh, the Chinese Ambassador said, “I hope that under the guidance of this consensus, relations will be moving forward smoothly in the future and not be restricted and interrupted by specific disagreements between the two sides. The most important thing is how to handle the differences.”
Referring to the resumption of direct flights between China and India, he said, “As an Ambassador, I am looking forward to this as it saves time. I am also looking forward to smooth cooperation not only in politics but also in business.”
Meanwhile, PTI reported from Beijing, China on Wednesday said the Chinese and Indian militaries are implementing the “resolutions” concerning the disengagement in eastern Ladakh along the LAC in an “orderly” manner.
China and India have reached resolutions on issues concerning the border, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here replying to a question on the progress of the disengagement.
“At the moment, the Chinese and Indian frontier troops are implementing the resolutions in an orderly way,” he said and declined to provide any details.
In another related development, PTI reported from Washington, the United States has said it welcomes any reduction in tension along the India-China border and noted that it has been briefed by New Delhi in this regard.
“We are closely following the developments (between India and China). We understand that both countries have taken initial steps to withdraw troops from friction points along the Line of Actual Control. We welcome any reduction in tensions along the border,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.
Responding to a question, Miller said that the US has played no role in this. “We have talked to our Indian partners and been briefed on it, but we did not play any role in this resolution,” Miller said.
