India – China: Military Disengagement at Two Friction Points on Border Completed
After decades of tension, peace was made possible through the mediation of Russia and the BRICS group. USA: “We played no role in the recent border agreement”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mediation and subsequent talks on the sidelines of the recent BRICS summit in Russia between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have finally allowed the two giant Asian countries to resolve one of their most pressing problems – the territorial issue on the border between China and India.
As reported by the Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI), “Indian and Chinese troops have completed a military separation of the two friction points: Demchok and Depsang plains, in the western sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the area of the disputed border between India and China.
For many decades, beginning with the China-Indian War of 1962, the Line of Actual Control represented the de facto border between China and India. Divided into three sectors, LAC separates China’s Tibet Autonomous Region from India’s Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh regions. Border disputes between India and China resumed in the western sector of LAC in May 2020 after two incidents of conflict between troops. There were several clashes in which the two countries “officially” lost 20 soldiers each. According to some press sources, the losses were actually much greater.
Negotiations between New Delhi and Beijing have stalled, with the two sides constantly placing blame on each other. More than 20 rounds of talks stalled, after which, thanks to Moscow’s mediation (President Putin held a series of confidential talks with both Xi Jinping and Modi between 2023 and 2024), Indian Foreign Secretary General Vikram Misri, on October 21, announced a “turning point” in resolving the border issue. “In recent weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a number of forums. As a result of these discussions, an agreement was reached on the modalities for patrolling along the Line of Actual Control in the border areas of India and China, leading to a reconciliation of forces and resolution of issues arising in these territories in 2020,” Misri said.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian confirmed the agreement: “The two countries maintain close communication on topical issues related to the China-Indian border through diplomatic and military channels. At this point, a decision has been reached on important dossiers. The next step for China will be to implement the above solutions together with India,” Lin said.
On October 23, after two separate rounds of talks with Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally met in Kazan, Russia, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS summit. The two leaders agreed “that the special border representatives will meet soon and that the two sides will work to normalize relations.” It was also agreed that “special representatives on the India-China border issue will meet as soon as possible to supervise the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas and to explore a just, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the border issue.”
To avoid any possible tension in the future, “appropriate dialogue mechanisms at the level of foreign ministers and other officials will be used to stabilize and restore bilateral relations.”
The United States played no role in the recent India-China border agreement, which it welcomes and is watching closely for developments. As US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated, “We are closely following the developments. We know that both countries have taken initial steps to withdraw troops from friction points along the Line of Actual Control. We welcome any reduction in tensions along the border. We have spoken to our Indian counterparts and have been briefed about it, but we had no role in the resolution.”
Thousands of people in India and China were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when Indian television announced: “On November 1, Indian and Chinese soldiers will exchange sweets on the occasion of Diwali (Festival of Lights, which is celebrated from October 29 to November 3).”