Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated on Monday that New Delhi and Beijing had decided to disengage from the border, where 50,000–60,000 troops are stationed on both sides, four and a half years after the standoff between India and China began.
“Agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020 and we will be taking the next steps on this,” Misri said, citing that Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums.
Last month, the Chinese Defence Ministry said China and India were able to “reduce differences” and build “some consensus” on disengaging troops from friction points to end the standoff in REastern Ladakh and agreed to maintain dialogue to resolve acceptable to both sides at an “early date”.
According to officials, soldiers stationed along the LAC are nonetheless on high alert at this time. They are, however, trying to avoid any confrontations that could erode confidence and cause delays in their preparations for redeployment. Local commanders from both sides on the ground have also been gathering to foster confidence in an effort to prevent conflicts.
Buffer zones (a neutral area serving to separate hostile forces or nations) have helped to mitigate some of the friction in areas like the Gogra-Hot Springs area, the north and south banks of the Pangong Tso, and the Galwan Valley. Demchok and Depsang Plains still have unresolved concerns; soldiers at Depsang Plains were unable to access patrol locations.
On September 12, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar declared that about 75 per cent of the “disengagement problems” with China have been “sorted out” but the “bigger issue” has been the increasing militarization of the border. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then declared that the situation along the borders is stable and that the forces had disengaged at four locations in Eastern Ladakh, including Galwan Valley.