India and China have agreed to work urgently to achieve the withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops stationed along their disputed border, marking a potential breakthrough in the long-running standoff. The announcement came after a meeting between Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Laos.
During the meeting, both ministers stressed the paramount importance of an early resolution to outstanding issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Himalayan border separating Chinese and Indian-held territories. The LAC stretches from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east, a region claimed by China in its entirety.
The current tensions escalated in July 2020 after a deadly military clash resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers. This incident triggered a prolonged standoff in the rugged mountainous terrain, where both sides deployed tens of thousands of troops, accompanied by artillery, tanks, and fighter jets.
Following their discussions, the two foreign ministers acknowledged the need to “work with purpose and urgency to achieve complete disengagement at the earliest,” as stated in an Indian government statement. The statement further emphasized the importance of peace along the border for restoring normalcy in bilateral relations.
In his opening remarks, Jaishankar highlighted the shadow that border issues have cast on India-China relations over the past four years, despite both sides’ efforts to resolve them. “The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties,” he noted.
Wang Yi echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the mutual benefits of improving China-India relations for both countries and the international community, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. The two sides agreed to collaborate in maintaining peace in border areas and fostering progress towards a lasting resolution.
The long-standing dispute between India and China dates back to the 1962 war. The LAC, dividing areas of physical control rather than territorial claims, is recognized by India to be 3,488 kilometers (2,167 miles) long, while China asserts a significantly shorter figure.
Since the military clash in 2020, top military commanders from India and China have engaged in several rounds of talks aimed at reaching a consensus on troop disengagement from areas of tension along the LAC. The latest agreement signifies a positive step towards easing tensions and potentially paving the way for a lasting solution to the border dispute.
