Jaishankar-Wang talks: Consensus between Indian\, China to ease border tension at LAC

Jaishankar-Wang talks: Consensus between Indian, China to ease border tension at LAC

The consensus happened during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on Thursday evening on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet

Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart held an almost two-hour-long discussion reaching a "five-point" consensus to ease ongoing border tensions

After months-long border standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China have finally agreed on a five-point plan to ease the tension. The consensus happened during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on Thursday evening on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet. In yesterday's meeting,  S Jaishankar strongly raised India's concern over the deployment of a large number of troops and military equipment by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart held an almost two-hour-long discussion reaching a "five-point" consensus to ease ongoing border tensions.

Foreign minister Jaishankar told the Chinese delegation that the presence of a large concentration of the People's Liberation Army of China was not in accordance with the bilateral pacts of 1993 and 1996 on border affairs.

China has deployed a large number of troops and weapons along the LAC in the last few weeks after the border standoff erupted in early May. Henceforth, Jaishankar told Yi that the provocative behavior of the PLA at friction points on the LAC showed its disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols.

The five-point consensus between India and China

1. The joint statement said Jaishankar and Wang agreed that both sides should take guidance from the series of the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries on developing India-China relations, including not allowing differences to become disputes.

2. The document emphasised on abiding by all existing agreements and protocol on management of the frontier, maintaining peace and tranquility, and avoiding any action that could escalate matters.

3. The two foreign ministers agreed that as the situation eases on the border, the two sides should expedite work to conclude new confidence-building measures to maintain and enhance peace and tranquillity in the border areas

4. Jaishankar and Yi agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side. They agreed, therefore, that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions.

5. They also agreed in this context that the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC) should also continue at its meetings," it added.

In yesterday's meeting, India also insisted that the immediate task should be to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in all the friction areas. The final disposition of the deployment of troops to their permanent posts and the phasing out process is to be worked out by the military commanders of the two sides, government sources informed India today.