In meet with Xi, Modi welcomes pact for 'complete disengagement' along LAC

Meeting on margins of 16th Brics Summit, PM Modi and President Xi agree to stabilise and rebuild India-China bilateral relations

During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit at the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi welcomed the recent agreement between New Delhi and Beijing for "complete disengagement and resolution" of issues that arose in 2020 in the India-China border areas, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

 

This was their first bilateral meeting in nearly five years, and movement towards resolving the ongoing border dispute in Ladakh was a major agenda item.

 

PM Modi went on to underscore the importance of handling differences and disputes between India and China in such a manner that broader peace and tranquility between the two nations is not disturbed.

 

 

"PM Modi met with Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit at Kazan on October 23, 2024," said the MEA release, adding, "Welcoming the recent agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 in the India-China border areas, PM Modi underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquility."

 

The development comes after India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, on Monday announced that an agreement had been reached with China concerning patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

 

A day after, China confirmed the development, which could lead to New Delhi and Beijing resolving the military standoff in the region.

 

During their meeting on the margins of the 16th BRICS Summit, PM Modi and President Xi "agreed that the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquility in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question", noted the MEA statement released on Wednesday.

 

The MEA added that "dialogue mechanisms" at the level of foreign ministers and other officials will also be utilised to "stabilise and rebuild" India-China bilateral relations.

 

Both leaders also "affirmed that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbors and the two largest nations on earth, will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity", according to the MEA statement.

 

Noting that stable India-China ties will also "contribute to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world", PM Modi and President Xi "underlined the need to progress bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, enhance strategic communication and explore cooperation to address developmental challenges", the MEA said.

 

Diplomatic and military discussions between the two countries have been ongoing since May 2020, when China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) made significant incursions into areas traditionally patrolled by the Indian Army.

 

In the violent clashes that took place between the two forces in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives, while an unknown number of Chinese troops were also killed or wounded.

 

Relations between India and China deteriorated sharply after the Galwan Valley clash, resulting in the most intense military standoff between the two sides in decades.

 

Since then, New Delhi and Beijing have been engaged in negotiations, claiming to have settled disputes over the alignment of the LAC in three key areas: the Galwan Valley, Gogra-Hot Springs, and the Pangong Tso lake region.

 

Monday's agreement is believed to relate to the Depsang Plains in the north of Ladakh and Demchok in the south, where the PLA still holds Indian territory. These two regions account for the majority of the disputed area.

 

The border pact could mark a significant breakthrough and contribute to ending the military standoff, which has lasted for over four years.