• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Mon, 21 Oct 2024 06:50 PM (IST)
  • Source:Reuters
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India-China Border Row: India and China have reached an agreement for the resolution of the long-standing border dispute in eastern Ladakh, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed on Monday. According to the official, both sides have agreed on a patrolling arrangement that has resulted in disengagement of troops from various flash points.

"As a result of the discussions that have taken place over the last several weeks an agreement has been arrived at on patroling arrangements along the line of actual control in the India-China border area and this is leading to dis-engagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020," Misri told a press briefing.

By July this year, at least 21 rounds of military commander-level talks had taken place between the two sides to resolve the territorial standoff. Though de-escalation had taken place at several flashpoints by then, a complete resolution remained out of sight.

EASTERN LADAKH ROW: TIMELINE

2020

The border row saw a steep escalation in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a fatal brawl in the Galwan Valley. At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in the melee. The same year, New Delhi heightened scrutiny of investments from China, banned popular Chinese mobile apps and severed direct passenger air routes between the two countries.

FEBRUARY 2022

The number of Chinese mobile apps banned by India climbed from 59 at the time of the border skirmish to 321.

DECEMBER 2022

Minor border scuffles broke out in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. China exerts its territorial claim on the northeastern state.

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(Indian Army soldiers demonstrate a drill in Tawang sector near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to tackle any threat from the Chinese side. 21-Oct-2021. Photo credits: ANI)

AUGUST 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to intensify efforts to disengage and de-escalate when they met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

JULY 2024

In a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan's Astana in July, the two sides had agreed that the prolongation of the border row would not be "in the interest of either side", according to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

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(External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, in Astana on Thursday. 04-Jul-2024. Photo credits: ANI)

"EAM highlighted the need to redouble efforts to achieve complete disengagement from the remaining areas in Eastern Ladakh and restore border peace and tranquillity in order to remove obstacles towards return of normalcy in bilateral relations," the MEA said in a statement.

SEPTEMBER 2024

Jaishankar said that about 75% of the "disengagement" problems at India's border with China had been sorted out. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also indicated a thaw in the standoff as he said that the two neighbours had discussed early resumption of direct passenger flights on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation in Delhi.

OCTOBER 2024

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said India and China had resolved the "low hanging fruits" with regard to their shared border and now needed to address difficult situations. He also said talks between Indian and Chinese diplomats had opened options to resolve the rest of the stand-off and it had to be implemented on the ground by military commanders.

(With inputs from agencies)