China and India Have “In-Depth” Discussions at LAC About Total Disengagement

At their 29th round of border consultation, which took place in Beijing on March 27, India and China spoke about how to reach total disengagement and address any outstanding concerns along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh area.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “the 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on March 27, 2024, in Beijing.” The Indian delegation was headed by the Joint Secretary (East Asia) of the Ministry of External Affairs. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department led the delegation from China, the statement said.

“ENTIRE DISENGAGEMENT”
Following the horrific battle in the Galwan Valley in June 2020—the worst military confrontation between the two countries in almost 40 years—ties between India and China took a severe hit. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs met for the final time on November 30, of the previous year. “The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the MEA said after the meeting on Wednesday.

According to the MEA, “both sides agreed to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols and to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels in the interim.” The most recent round of border negotiations took place as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasized on Wednesday that the customary military deployment would be the basis for normality in bilateral relations and will be necessary for the relationship to progress.

“GREAT RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS”
“Securing the border is my first obligation to the Indians. During his meeting with the Indian diaspora in this Malaysian city, Jaishankar responded to a query on the present status of India’s ties with China by saying, “I can never compromise on that.” Every nation, he said, aspires to have “good relations with its neighbours.” Who doesn’t? However, there must be a foundation for any connection.

Negotiations with the Chinese are still ongoing. I converse with my counterpart. We sometimes get together. Our military leaders engage in mutual negotiations. However, we make it extremely evident that we had a contract. A Line of Actual Control is present. It is customary for us not to send soldiers to that line. Our usual deployment spot is a base that is rather apart from each other. He said, “And we want that normalcy.” “Therefore, the foundation of our relationship will be the normality that restores our army’s deployment to where it is. Furthermore, we have been frank and open with the Chinese about it, according to Jaishankar.