India and China have agreed to step up efforts for the disengagement of troops and de-escalation of tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after a conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. The meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi took place on August 23, as the two leaders attended the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. The announcement of the talks was made the next day, just prior to the PM’s departure for Greece.
This is the first detailed conversation between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi in the last three years to address the issue of the military standoff along the LAC. The standoff began in April 2020 after transgressions by the Chinese military and the killings that followed at Galwan in eastern Ladakh. The conversation between the two leaders represents a potential thaw in ties that have been in limbo since the beginning of the standoff.
During the conversation, Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border areas. He emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas and respecting the LAC for the normalization of the India-China relationship. However, the readout given by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra did not mention India’s earlier position that a reversion to the “status quo ante” as of April 2020 was necessary to resolve the conflict.
The two leaders directed their officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation, referring to the ongoing talks between military commanders at the LAC. These talks have been extended after an unsuccessful 19th round of commander-level talks concluded on August 14.
The talks between the military commanders reportedly focused on the disengagement of troops at the Depsang Plains and Demchok in eastern Ladakh. It is believed that thousands of Chinese troops are stationed in these areas while the creation of buffer zones has restricted patrolling by the troops.
While no timeline was given for the resolution of the issue, this situation has similarities to the 2017 Doklam conflict, which also ended after a meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit. The BRICS summit provided the meeting ground for the two leaders, and they may continue discussions at the G-20 summit and the East Asia Summit in the coming months.
