On the night of June 14-15, 2020, a deadly face-off broke out between the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on the western side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which is the de facto border between India and China. . The soldiers attacked each other with iron rods and batons, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers. This face-off was a turning point in China-India relations. This was the first time in 45 years that there were deaths in a confrontation along the LAC. Sino-Indian relations, which had been improving since the 1962 border war, broke down seriously. After 4 years, relations are once again on the verge of improving.
After four years, some progress has been seen in the long-running 3,440 km long border dispute between India and China. India has completed the difficult task of bringing a stubborn China back to patrolling agreements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has announced that the two countries have agreed to patrolling arrangements on the disputed Ladakh border. This situation was in force before the Galwan clashes between the two countries in April 2020. The move comes ahead of the BRICS summit in Kazan, which was attended by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. After 4 years both the countries have joined hands once again. Given that China had maintained an adamant stance of not agreeing to India’s demand for status quo for four years, this victory becomes even sweeter – not just diplomatically but also militarily.
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What agreement has been reached between India and China recently?
The agreement pertains to patrolling arrangements along the disputed Himalayan border, particularly the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the aim of reducing tensions that arose in 2020. Talking about the border dispute with China in eastern Ladakh, Misri said Indian and Chinese negotiators have been in touch on this for the last few weeks. Misri said “We are having discussions with Chinese negotiators through WMCC and military-level meetings. These discussions have resolved the standoff at several places earlier. Now, there has been an agreement on patrolling arrangements on the LAC, leading to disengagement The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border issues has been an important platform for resolving the issues in 2020, following the August meeting in Beijing. Both sides agreed to intensify diplomatic and military-level contacts to resolve outstanding issues.
Why China border agreement is a huge victory for India
The disengagement agreement was reached after 17 rounds of working mechanism meetings and 21 rounds of military talks. This would mean that patrolling and grazing activities in the areas under discussion, wherever applicable, would revert to 2020 status, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, echoing External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s comments at a media event. The agreement set the stage for the first meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia as relations between the two countries reached a breaking point due to the border standoff.
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Why did there be conflict between India and China in 2020?
The tension began with China objecting to Indian infrastructure projects, including the construction of a road in the Galwan river valley that connects to a vital airbase. China considered the road a threat to its territorial claims in the area, leading to a standoff between the two countries.
How will India benefit militarily from the border agreement?
The new agreement will enable Indian troops to resume patrolling to their old patrolling points in Depsang and Demchok – two major conflict areas that were yet to be resolved between the two countries. Disputes have already been resolved in Gogra-Hot Springs, Pangong Lake and Galwan Valley, where there were fierce scuffles between the two troops, resulting in casualties on both sides. The Depsang plains in the north of Ladakh and Demchok in the south form most of the disputed area. Its importance can be gauged from the fact that China was reluctant to discuss the two areas till about a year ago. Especially the military importance of Depsang plains is very high. Located just 30 kilometers from the important Daulat Beg Oldie Post near the Karakoram Pass, the area has a flat surface and hilly terrain. The flat terrain allows troops and tanks to be easily moved to the border in the event of military attacks. The situation was worrying as Chinese soldiers had entered up to 15 kilometers into the areas patrolled by the Indian Army.
Hope to resolve China-India territorial dispute
Additionally, the agreement offers hope to resolve the broader China-India territorial dispute as the two countries have different perceptions of the LAC, which divides areas of physical control rather than territorial claims. India and China share a 3,488 km long border. While China claims about 90,000 square kilometers of territory over India, including Arunachal Pradesh, India says 38,000 square kilometers of land in the disputed Aksai Chin area is part of Ladakh. India has always maintained that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inseparable” part of the country.
Will direct flights resume between India and China?
Moreover, the border agreement is also likely to pave the way for better political and trade relations between the Asian giants. After the Galwan clashes, Chinese companies struggled to do business in India as the Modi government tightened investment norms. It also banned around 300 popular Chinese apps like TikTok. The normalization of relations could allow direct passenger flights to China to resume after a four-year pause. Flights between the two countries did not resume during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. There is a possibility of promotion of business relations. It is no secret that China has long been one of India’s top trading partners and a major supplier of telecom hardware and raw pharma ingredients. Additionally, India in 2020 mandated an additional layer of scrutiny and security clearance for investments from companies based in neighboring countries. It was seen primarily targeting China. Due to this move, proposed investments worth billions of dollars got stuck in the approval process.
