New Delhi: In what seems to be a major breakthrough announced on Monday, India and China have agreed to ensure “complete disengagement” of the troops of both countries along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from the border areas. Both sides also decided to complete the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC “expeditiously and ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation”.

It was also decided that neither side would take any “unilateral action to alter the status quo” at the LAC and that both countries would instead “work together to avoid any incident in the future” that could disturb peace.

This was agreed in a phone conversation that took place earlier on Sunday between India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during which both had a “frank and in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas”, the Indian Government said.

Both top functionaries are also the Special Representatives of their countries on the “Boundary Question” and the interaction reflects a move at top levels in both countries to limp towards repair of the enormous damage in the past two months to ties between the two Asian giants, especially after the deadly clash between the two armies at the Galwan valley in the Ladakh sector in mid-June.

Both sides currently have large troop deployments at the border due to military tensions. Monday’s announcement also comes in the wake of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ladakh last week and India’s recent decision to ban 59 Chinese Apps. Both countries have already had several rounds of both military and diplomatic talks at senior levels.   

On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “They (Mr. Doval and Mr. Wang Yi) agreed that it was necessary to ensure at the earliest complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquillity. In this regard they further agreed that both sides should complete the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC expeditiously. The two sides should also ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation in the India-China border areas.”

The MEA added, “They re-affirmed that both sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and should not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquillity in border areas. ... It was also agreed that the two Special Representatives will continue their conversations to ensure full and enduring restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols.”

New Delhi further said, “The two Special Representatives agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas was essential for the further development of our bilateral relations and that two sides should not allow differences to become disputes.”

This was of course a reference to reviving the earlier consensus between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on bilateral ties that had received a severe jolt in recent times.

The statement put out by the MEA mentioned, “The Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question - Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India and H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China had a telephone conversation on 5th July 2020. The two Special Representatives had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas. ... The two Special Representatives agreed that the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides should continue their discussions, including under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), and implement the understandings reached in a timely manner to achieve the above outcomes.”