New Delhi: On Sunday, November 3, 2024, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced that India and China have achieved "some progress" in their disengagement efforts, calling it a "welcome" development. His remarks followed the recent completion of troop disengagement at two contentious locations: Demchok and the Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army has begun verification patrols in Depsang, with patrolling in Demchok commencing on Friday, November 1, 2024.
Jaishankar highlighted, "In terms of India and China, we have made some progress. Our relations have been quite troubled for reasons well known to everyone. We have taken steps toward what we refer to as disengagement." He made these comments during a discussion with the Indian diaspora, addressing the significant presence of Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control, a situation that did not exist prior to 2020, prompting India to counter-deploy forces.
He noted that various aspects of the bilateral relationship had also been impacted during this period. "Clearly, we need to assess the direction we take following the disengagement. However, we view this step as positive, as it opens the door for further developments," Jaishankar added.
He further stated that following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last month, there was an expectation for both national security advisors, including himself, to engage with their counterparts.
On October 21, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reported that India and China had finalized an agreement after weeks of negotiations, aiming to resolve issues that surfaced in 2020. This agreement focuses on the patrolling and disengagement of troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, marking a significant breakthrough in ending a standoff that has lasted over four years. The deterioration of relations between the two nations followed a violent clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which represented the most severe military confrontation between them in decades.