Brisbane. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India and China have made “some progress” in withdrawing troops. He described the development as a “welcome” step. Jaishankar’s comments come days after Indian and Chinese troops withdrew from Demchok and Depsang, two standoff points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army began verification patrolling in Depsang on Saturday, while patrolling in Demchok began on Friday.
“We have made some progress in the context of India and China,” Jaishankar said in response to a question during his interaction with members of the Indian diaspora in Brisbane. You know our relationship was very bad for some reasons. “We have made some progress in retreating.”
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The Foreign Minister said, “There are a large number of Chinese troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control, who were not there before 2020 and in return we also made counter-deployments.” Other aspects of relations have also been affected during this period. So clearly, we have to step back and see in which direction we move forward.
Jaishankar said, “But we feel that the step back is a welcome step.” This opens up the possibility that other steps can also be taken.” He said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last month, it was expected that ”the National Security Advisor (NSA) and I both will do our part. Will meet counterparts. So this is how things happened.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said in Delhi on October 21 that after several weeks of talks, an agreement has been finalized between India and China, which will resolve the issues that arose in 2020. It was agreed to withdraw troops and patrol the LAC in eastern Ladakh, which is a major breakthrough towards ending the four-year-long standoff. Relations between the two countries had deteriorated after the fierce clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Galwan Valley in June 2020.
