External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar credited the recent patrolling agreement between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to India’s strong military and diplomatic approach. Speaking with students in Pune on Saturday, Jaishankar highlighted India’s determined stance, saying, “Our military defended the country in unimaginable conditions, while diplomacy played its part.”
The breakthrough follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. The leaders decided that their countries’ foreign ministers and National Security Advisors would work together to find a path forward.
However, Jaishankar cautioned that it’s still early for complete normalization of India-China relations, explaining that trust and cooperation will require time to rebuild.
Reflecting on the LAC dispute, Jaishankar remarked that border infrastructure had been neglected in the past. “Today, we’re investing five times more resources annually than a decade ago. This has enabled effective military deployment along the border,” he added.
This week, India and China agreed on a new “patrolling arrangement” along the LAC, leading to troop disengagement and resolution of issues stemming from the 2020 standoff. For over four years, both countries had been in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh due to Chinese incursions.
As a first step, both nations have begun disengaging troops from two of the seven identified friction points along the LAC to restore mutual patrolling rights. Indian Army sources confirmed that the disengagement process started in the Depsang Plains and Demchok on Tuesday and is expected to conclude by October 28-29.
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