Full disengagement of troops along LAC must for progress in relations, India tells China

The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army last month withdrew front-line troops from the northern and the southern banks of Pangong Tso

India on Friday told China that completing mutual withdrawal of troops from the remaining “points of friction” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) would set the stage for progress in bilateral relations.

New Delhi’s envoy to Beijing, Vikram Misri, met China’s Vice Foreign Minister, Luo Zhaohui in Beijing, and stressed that “maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas had always been the basis for development of bilateral relations”.

Read: We were resolute, strong about protecting our interests: Jaishankar on border issue

Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, said that India would expect China to work with it to complete the process of disengagement of troops from the remaining face-off points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) last month withdrew front-line troops from the northern and the southern banks of Pangong Tso.

The mutual disengagement from both banks of the lake raised hope for an early end to the military stand-off, which had started in late April and early May in 2020 and taken the bilateral relations to a new low over the past few months.

After the two sides completed withdrawal of troops from Pangong Tso areas, the senior commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA had a meeting on February 20 last and started discussion on disengagement from other face-off points along the LAC, like Hot Springs, Depsang and Gogra Post.

Read: Disengagement at all friction points necessary to consider de-escalation of troops: India to China

The MEA spokesperson in New Delhi referred to the talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart in the Chinese Government, Wang Yi, over phone on February 25. Jaishankar had pointed out to Wang that both sides had always agreed that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas had been an essential basis for the development of bilateral relations and a prolongation of the existing situation would not be in the interest of either side.

“It is therefore our expectation that the Chinese side will work with us, both through the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Coordination and Consultation on India-China border affairs) and Senior Commanders’ meetings, to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest,” Srivastava told journalists in New Delhi. “This would allow both sides to consider de-escalation of forces in Eastern Ladakh as that alone will lead to the restoration of peace and tranquility and provide conditions for progress in our bilateral relationship."

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government stated that Luo and Misri had “a candid and in-depth exchange of views on China-India relations and border events”. The two sides agreed that the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries should be adhered to and grasp the correct direction of China-India relations.

The two sides agreed to implement the important results reached during the Moscow meeting (between Jaishankar and Wang in September 2020) and the recent phone-call between the two foreign ministers, maintain the momentum of diplomatic and military consultations, realize peace and tranquillity in the border area, and return bilateral relations to normal, it said.