I see disengagement as disengagement, nothing more: EAM on Ladakh row

The disengagement part of the "problem" with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh has been addressed with last month's understanding and the next focus would be on de-escalation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Jaishankar described as a "reasonable supposition" to expect some improvement in the relations between India and China following the last round of disengagement but hesitated to say that there could be a reset of the ties.

"I see disengagement as disengagement; nothing more, nothing less. If you look at our current situation with China, we have an issue where our troops are uncomfortably close along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which required us to disengage," he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

 

"And this last understanding of October 21 is the last one of the disengagement agreements. So with its implementation the disengagement part of the problem is addressed," he said.

Jaishankar's remarks came in response to a question on whether the disengagement of troops by the two sides last month was the beginning of a reset of ties between India and China.

The external affairs minister said the current situation of the relationship does not warrant such a conclusion.

The Indian and Chinese militaries completed the disengagement exercise in Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh along the LAC last month after the two sides reached an agreement to resolve the festering border row.

The two sides also resumed patrolling activities in the two areas after a gap of almost four-and-a-half years.

In his remarks, Jaishankar said de-escalation would be the next step following the disengagement process.

"Where the disengagement will lead us, it is a reasonable supposition that there will be some improvement in the ties," he said at the same time.

On the overall India-China ties, Jaishankar delved into various factors and said is a "complicated" relationship.

To a separate question, the external affairs minister said the world is looking at India's political stability, especially at a time when most countries in the world are facing political instability.

"At such a time, being elected three times in a row in a democracy is not an ordinary thing," he said about the result of the parliamentary elections this year.

On Republican leader Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, Jaishankar said it reflected a lot about the US.

"This US election tells us a lot about America. It tells us that many of the concerns and priorities that won Donald Trump a first term have become more intense, not gone away," he said.