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Management of border areas will need further attention in the light of recent experiences, says EAM Jaishankar
Bilateral relations between India and China were on course of “some improvement” after the recent disengagement agreement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (December 3, 2024).
Making a detailed statement about recent developments in the India-China border areas and their implications for overall bilateral relations, he also noted that the next step would be to consider de-escalation of the troops massed along the LAC.
“Our ties have been abnormal since 2020, when peace and tranquility in the border areas were disturbed as a result of Chinese actions. Recent developments that reflect our continuous diplomatic engagement since then have set our ties in the direction of some improvement,” EAM Jaishankar said.
He pointed out that the amassing of a large number of troops by China along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020 resulted in face offs with Indian forces at a number of points and led to disruption of patrolling activities. It was to the credit of the armed forces that despite logistical challenges and the then-prevailing Covid situation, they were able to counter-deploy rapidly and effectively, he pointed out.
“The House is well aware of the circumstances leading up to the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020. In the months thereafter, we were addressing a situation that had not only seen fatalities for the first time in 45 years, but also a turn of events serious enough for heavy weaponry to be deployed in close proximity to the LAC,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
“While a determined counter deployment of adequate capability was the Government’s immediate response, there was also the imperative of a diplomatic effort to defuse these heightened tensions and restore peace and tranquility,” he added.
‘Management of Border Areas Will Need Further Attention’
Informing the House that disengagement from friction points to prevent further untoward incidents or clashes had been fully achieved, he explained, “The next priority will be to consider de-escalation, that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments. It is also evident that the management of the border areas will require further attention in the light of our recent experiences”.
Speaking about the agreement reached on October 21, 2024 regarding Depsang and Demchok, he noted that the twin considerations of an unstable local situation and an impacted bilateral relationship were clearly the drivers for these recent endeavors. “These two areas have been the focus of our discussions in both WMCC and SHMC with the Chinese side since September 2022, when the last disengagement agreement was concluded at the Hot Springs area,” he stated.
EAM Jaishankar reiterated the three key principles that must be observed in all circumstances: (i) both sides should strictly respect and observe the LAC, (ii) neither side should attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo, and (iii) agreements and understandings reached in the past must be fully abided by in their entirety. “We have been very clear that the restoration of peace and tranquility would be the basis for the rest of the relationship to move forward,” he remarked.
Giving a timeline of events and discussions, EAM Jaishankar said the initial disengagement in Galwan Valley in July 2020 was followed by a Foreign Ministers meeting in Moscow on September 10, 2020. The government’s position at that time was that the immediate task was to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in all the friction areas.
On February 11, 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed the House about our disengagement agreement in the North and South banks of the Pangong Lake. In August 2021, a third phase of disengagement took place in the area of Gogra, whereby troops would henceforth be in their respective bases. The next step took place in September 2022, when forward deployments in the Hot Springs area ceased in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of troops to their respective areas.
“The most recent October 21, 2024 agreement comes in the wake of the earlier ones. It completes the first phase of what we had agreed to in Moscow in September 2020,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
During this period, detailed discussions were conducted by the Working Mechanism for Cooperation and Coordination (WMCC) at the diplomatic level. Its military counterpart was the Senior Highest Military Commanders meeting (SHMC) mechanism. The interactions were very tightly coordinated with the combined presence in the negotiations of both diplomatic and military officials. Since June 2020, 17 meetings of the WMCC and 21 rounds of SHMC have taken place.
Key Points From EAM Jaishankar’s Statement
1. China is in illegal occupation of 38,000 Sq. kms. of Indian territory in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict and the events that preceded it. Pakistan illegally ceded 5180 Sq. kms. of Indian territory to China in 1963, which had been under its occupation since 1948.
2. India and China have held talks for multiple decades to resolve the boundary issue. While there is a Line of Actual Control (LAC), it does not have a common understanding in some areas. “We remain committed to engaging with China through bilateral discussions to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for a boundary settlement,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
3. The contemporary phase of India's ties with China dates back to 1988, when there was a clear understanding that the Sino-Indian boundary question will be settled through peaceful and friendly consultations. In 1991, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquility in the areas along the LAC pending a final settlement of the boundary question. In 1993, an agreement was reached on the maintenance of peace and tranquility and in 1996, India and China agreed on confidence building measures in the military field.
4. In 2003, India and China finalized a Declaration on Principles for our Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation, which included the appointment of Special Representatives. In 2005, a protocol was formulated on Modalities for the Implementation of Confidence Building Measures along the LAC. At the same time, the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the settlement of the boundary question was agreed to.
5. In 2012, a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) was established. A year later in 2013, the two sides reached an understanding on border defence cooperation as well.
"The purpose of my recalling these agreements is to underline the elaborate nature of our shared efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity and to emphasise the seriousness of what its unprecedented disruption in 2020 implied for our overall relationship," EAM Jaishankar said.
Making a detailed statement about recent developments in the India-China border areas and their implications for overall bilateral relations, he also noted that the next step would be to consider de-escalation of the troops massed along the LAC.
“Our ties have been abnormal since 2020, when peace and tranquility in the border areas were disturbed as a result of Chinese actions. Recent developments that reflect our continuous diplomatic engagement since then have set our ties in the direction of some improvement,” EAM Jaishankar said.
He pointed out that the amassing of a large number of troops by China along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020 resulted in face offs with Indian forces at a number of points and led to disruption of patrolling activities. It was to the credit of the armed forces that despite logistical challenges and the then-prevailing Covid situation, they were able to counter-deploy rapidly and effectively, he pointed out.
“The House is well aware of the circumstances leading up to the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020. In the months thereafter, we were addressing a situation that had not only seen fatalities for the first time in 45 years, but also a turn of events serious enough for heavy weaponry to be deployed in close proximity to the LAC,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
“While a determined counter deployment of adequate capability was the Government’s immediate response, there was also the imperative of a diplomatic effort to defuse these heightened tensions and restore peace and tranquility,” he added.
‘Management of Border Areas Will Need Further Attention’
Informing the House that disengagement from friction points to prevent further untoward incidents or clashes had been fully achieved, he explained, “The next priority will be to consider de-escalation, that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments. It is also evident that the management of the border areas will require further attention in the light of our recent experiences”.
Speaking about the agreement reached on October 21, 2024 regarding Depsang and Demchok, he noted that the twin considerations of an unstable local situation and an impacted bilateral relationship were clearly the drivers for these recent endeavors. “These two areas have been the focus of our discussions in both WMCC and SHMC with the Chinese side since September 2022, when the last disengagement agreement was concluded at the Hot Springs area,” he stated.
EAM Jaishankar reiterated the three key principles that must be observed in all circumstances: (i) both sides should strictly respect and observe the LAC, (ii) neither side should attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo, and (iii) agreements and understandings reached in the past must be fully abided by in their entirety. “We have been very clear that the restoration of peace and tranquility would be the basis for the rest of the relationship to move forward,” he remarked.
Giving a timeline of events and discussions, EAM Jaishankar said the initial disengagement in Galwan Valley in July 2020 was followed by a Foreign Ministers meeting in Moscow on September 10, 2020. The government’s position at that time was that the immediate task was to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in all the friction areas.
On February 11, 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed the House about our disengagement agreement in the North and South banks of the Pangong Lake. In August 2021, a third phase of disengagement took place in the area of Gogra, whereby troops would henceforth be in their respective bases. The next step took place in September 2022, when forward deployments in the Hot Springs area ceased in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of troops to their respective areas.
“The most recent October 21, 2024 agreement comes in the wake of the earlier ones. It completes the first phase of what we had agreed to in Moscow in September 2020,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
During this period, detailed discussions were conducted by the Working Mechanism for Cooperation and Coordination (WMCC) at the diplomatic level. Its military counterpart was the Senior Highest Military Commanders meeting (SHMC) mechanism. The interactions were very tightly coordinated with the combined presence in the negotiations of both diplomatic and military officials. Since June 2020, 17 meetings of the WMCC and 21 rounds of SHMC have taken place.
Key Points From EAM Jaishankar’s Statement
1. China is in illegal occupation of 38,000 Sq. kms. of Indian territory in Aksai Chin as a result of the 1962 conflict and the events that preceded it. Pakistan illegally ceded 5180 Sq. kms. of Indian territory to China in 1963, which had been under its occupation since 1948.
2. India and China have held talks for multiple decades to resolve the boundary issue. While there is a Line of Actual Control (LAC), it does not have a common understanding in some areas. “We remain committed to engaging with China through bilateral discussions to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for a boundary settlement,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
3. The contemporary phase of India's ties with China dates back to 1988, when there was a clear understanding that the Sino-Indian boundary question will be settled through peaceful and friendly consultations. In 1991, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquility in the areas along the LAC pending a final settlement of the boundary question. In 1993, an agreement was reached on the maintenance of peace and tranquility and in 1996, India and China agreed on confidence building measures in the military field.
4. In 2003, India and China finalized a Declaration on Principles for our Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation, which included the appointment of Special Representatives. In 2005, a protocol was formulated on Modalities for the Implementation of Confidence Building Measures along the LAC. At the same time, the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the settlement of the boundary question was agreed to.
5. In 2012, a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) was established. A year later in 2013, the two sides reached an understanding on border defence cooperation as well.
"The purpose of my recalling these agreements is to underline the elaborate nature of our shared efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity and to emphasise the seriousness of what its unprecedented disruption in 2020 implied for our overall relationship," EAM Jaishankar said.
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