New Delhi: Indian and Chinese officials met for the first time since the conclusion of military disengagement in the four-year standoff in Eastern Ladakh, “positively” affirming that the process had been successfully implemented.
On December 5, the foreign office-led Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) convened in New Delhi, co-chaired by MEA joint secretary Gourangalal Das and Chinese foreign ministry director general Hong Liang. The senior Chinese official later met with foreign secretary Vikram Misri.
“The two sides positively affirmed the implementation of the most recent disengagement agreement which completed the resolution of the issues that emerged in 2020,” said the Indian foreign ministry’s readout. No press release has been issued by China yet.
The military standoff, which began in May 2020, escalated in June that year with a hand-to-hand clash in Galwan Valley. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers, marking the first fatalities at the LAC in 45 years.
Last month, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping met in Kazan for formal talks – their first in five years – after the two nations announced they had resolved the last two remaining friction points at Demchok and Depsang.
According to the Indian press release, the officials also “reviewed the situation in border areas and reflected on the lessons learnt from the events of 2020 in order to prevent their recurrence.”
“In this context, they highlighted the importance of regular exchanges and contacts at diplomatic and military level through established mechanisms,” the statement noted.
The meeting also laid the grounds for the next meeting of the Special Representatives, which is likely to be held soon.
The MEA press release emphasised the need for effective border management and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity, in line with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings between the two governments.
The Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar told parliament earlier this week that the “conclusion of the disengagement phase” now paves the way to explore other areas of bilateral engagement in a “calibrated manner.”
He said that due to the “recent understanding arrived at after intensive negotiations, resumption of patrolling to the traditional areas is underway” in Demchok and Depsang, along with access to the local nomadic population to grazing grounds.
However, he indicated that there were no plans to change the disengagement conditions for the resolution of the earlier four friction points, even though he described them as “steps of a temporary and limited nature.”
