(TibetanReview.net, Oct22’24) –In what has been described as a breakthrough development, which should lead to disengagement, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has announced Oct 21 that his country and China had reached an agreement regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tibet-border areas. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has called it a “positive development”, but urged caution, saying there were still meetings and discussions to be held. Besides, China is yet to respond to these claims.
“India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in border areas leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020 and we will be taking the next steps on this,” Misri has said while addressing a press conference.
Jaishankar has said this “positive development” would create a basis for peace and tranquillity along the border areas.
Speaking at an NDTV summit, Jaishankar has said: “We reached an agreement on patrolling and with that we have gone back to where the situation was in 2020. We can say that the disengagement process with China has been completed…There are areas which for various reasons after 2020 … they had blocked us so we had blocked them.
“So what has happened is we have reached an understanding which will allow the patrolling. I think the understanding to my knowledge is that we will be able to do the patrolling which we were doing in 2020.
“I think it’s a good development. It’s a positive development and I would say it’s a product of very patient and very persevering diplomacy…,”
Elaborating further, he has said: “We’ve been negotiating since Sep 2020, when I met my counterpart Wang Yi, in Moscow at that time…I think it creates a basis that peace and tranquillity, which there should be in the border areas, which there was before 2020, we will be able to come back to that…”
The latest agreement reportedly concerns patrolling arrangements in the Depsang and Demchok areas in eastern Ladakh as deals had already been reached in other areas in the region in previous discussions, as noted by hindustantimes.com Oct 21.
The relationship between the two countries has remained fraught with tension since the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in mid- 2020. The incident marked a turning point, prompting India to increase scrutiny of Chinese investments and suspend several significant projects aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation, noted the timesofindia.com Oct 21.
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The hindustantimes.com and other Indian media reports noted that the “breakthrough” was revealed just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kazan, Russia, for the BRICS Summit.
With the theme of “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,” the summit will provide a platform for leaders to discuss key global issues. Jaishankar has said the summit offers an opportunity to review progress on BRICS initiatives and explore new areas for cooperation.
While no official confirmation has been made, there is speculation that Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping may hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit, said the hindustantimes.com report.
However, China’s Foreign Ministry has on Oct 21 parried questions on the possibility of such a meeting.
“We will keep you posted if anything comes up,” the PTI news agency Oct 21 quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian as saying while replying to a question at a media briefing in Beijing.
Earlier, on Oct 18, China announced that Xi will attend the BRICS Summit, adding he will work with other parties to open a new era for the Global South to seek strength through solidarity.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning had said at that time that Xi will attend small-group and large-group meetings, BRICS Plus Dialogue and deliver important addresses.
“China stands ready to work with other parties to strive for the steady and sustained development of greater BRICS cooperation, open a new era for the Global South to seek strength through solidarity and jointly promote world peace and development,” she had said.
BRICS originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have since been admitted as new members.
Meanwhile, there has been no reaction so far in Beijing to the agreement announced by Misri and elaborated by Jaishankar, the PTI report noted.