The four-and-a-half-year standoff between India and China now appears to be ending. The two countries have reached an agreement on patrols in eastern Ladakh. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said there were differences of opinion among the big powers but this was a huge success. The situation in LAC now will be the same as it was before 2020.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry said talks at both diplomatic and military levels have been ongoing between India and China over the past few weeks. Through this conversation, the two sides reached a consensus on patrolling the Line of Actual Control.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar said in the program that after 2020, many areas were blocked by them, and we also blocked them. But an agreement has now been reached on patrols. Now we will be able to patrol the same places we patrolled before 2020.
China also ratified the agreement. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the two sides had reached an agreement and we would work together with India.
How are things going between the two?
In June 2020, Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh. 20 Indian soldiers were killed in this conflict. Since then, the confrontation between India and China over the Line of Actual Control has continued.
The road to an agreement between India and China has not been smooth. Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry said the agreement between India and China was the culmination of weeks of negotiations. He said the two countries have been cooperating through various channels for several weeks.
Military commanders of the two countries met 21 times and diplomats met 31 times. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Bureau Chief Ajit Doval also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
What is the agreement?
Not much has been revealed about this agreement between India and China. However, the situation at LAC will remain the same as before June 2020.
Jaishankar said Indian and Chinese soldiers will now be able to patrol the LAC as they did before the border tensions began. Under this agreement, Depsang and Demchok can now also be patrolled.
Patrolling in Depsang is also important from the Indian perspective as Daulat Beg near the Karakoram Pass is 30 kilometers from the Odi post. There is also a flat area between the hills that can be used for military activities. while Demchok fell near the Indus River. If China takes control here, it could affect the water supply to North Indian states.
According to the “Indian Express” report, according to the agreement, the Indian Army can patrol from Patrol Points 10 to 13 in Depsang all the way to Chating Valley in Demchok.
Media reports said the two armies will be able to conduct patrols twice a month. Previously, the patrol had 13 to 18 soldiers, but now there are only 14 to 15 soldiers. Apart from this, patrol dates will be shared between the two countries to avoid any kind of conflict.
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What’s wrong with patrol spots?
The border with China is divided into three parts: eastern, central and western. The border with Ladakh lies in the western sector. This border is 1,597 kilometers long. The LAC, or Line of Actual Control, is not fixed in the western sector.
After the 1962 war, India withdrew its troops from the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh in 1970. As a result, the infiltration of Chinese soldiers increased. Therefore, while the border is not fixed, patrol points have been set up along the LAC where Indian soldiers can patrol.
In 1976, India established 65 patrol points along the LAC. Patrol point 1 is at Karakoram Pass and 65 is at Chumar. These patrol points are easily identifiable but are not marked.
What happens at patrol points?
The border between India and China has not yet been defined through patrol points. But these are contentious areas. Soldiers from both countries patrol these patrol points. Some protocols have been fixed for this as well.
Sometimes soldiers from both countries came to patrol at the same time. In this case, the protocol is for one side to stop if it sees the other side’s patrol. Nothing can be said in this situation. Instead, a banner is displayed. The Indian banner reads: “You are on Indian territory, go back.” Similarly, the Chinese flag also reads – “You are on Chinese territory, go back.”
In recent years, we have seen that under such circumstances, instead of retreating, the military personnel of the two countries clashed. This is why there have been many reports of clashes and scuffles between soldiers on both sides of the Line of Actual Control. But after the agreement is reached, there is hope that there will be no more conflicts in the border areas.
How effective is the agreement?
The biggest impact of the deal will be that post-conflict tensions in the Galwan Valley are now all but over. At present, the armies of the two countries will return to their positions along the actual control line by June 2020.
However, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said that we want to return to the situation before April 2020.
India and China clashed at five locations along the Line of Actual Control: Depsang, Demchok, Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and Gogra Hot Springs. After several rounds of talks after 2020, the armies of the two countries have withdrawn from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and Gogra Hot Springs. However, there is a risk of clashes due to the deployment of troops in Depsang and Demchok.
But now with the agreement, Indian and Chinese troops will withdraw from five locations and be able to patrol here as before. This will maintain peace on the border.
What are these buffers?
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said the decision to establish buffer zones along the Line of Actual Control was an important step and now both sides should decide to respect these areas. We have to ensure there is no infiltration in the buffer zone, he said.
But what is this buffer? In fact, buffer zones have remained in Pangong Lake, Galwan Valley, Gogra and hot springs in eastern Ladakh since the troops withdrew. The buffer zone is an area where neither Indian nor Chinese soldiers can patrol.
The buffer zone was established to ensure peace and absence of tension on the border. Negotiations on buffer zone patrols are also currently underway.
Also Read: From Aksai Chin to Tawang… Where are the tensions between India and China, Read – The story of the world’s longest disputed border.
Which areas of India have disputes with China?
1. Pangong Tso Lake (Ladakh)
This lake is 134 kilometers long and is located in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 14,000 feet. An area of ​​44 square kilometers of the lake belongs to India and about 90 square kilometers belongs to China. LAC also passes through this lake. So there’s still confusion here and there’s disputes between the two countries.
2. Galwan Valley (Ladakh)
The Galwan Valley is located between Ladakh and Aksai Chin. The Aksai Line of Control separates China from India. The valley extends into China’s southern Xinjiang and India’s Ladakh. In June 2020, violent conflicts broke out in the Galwan Valley.
3. Doklam (Bhutan)
Although Doklam is a dispute between Bhutan and China, it falls near the Sikkim border. It is a kind of tri-nation meeting point, located very close to China, Bhutan and India. Both Bhutan and China claim sovereignty over the area. India supports Bhutan’s claim. In 2017, tensions between India and China over the Doklam issue lasted for about two and a half months.
4. Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
China has been keeping an eye on Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Tawang is a major religious site for Buddhists. It is also known as the largest Buddhist temple in Asia. China has always claimed that Tawang is part of Tibet. In the agreement signed in 1914, Tawang was declared a part of Arunachal Pradesh. China occupied Tawang in the 1962 war but had to give up its occupation under a ceasefire agreement.
5. Nathu La (Sikkim)
Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It connects Sikkim in India to the Chunbi Valley in southern Tibet. Its elevation is 14,200 feet. This is important to India as pilgrims make their way to the holy temple of Mount Kailash from here. There is no dispute between India and China on the Nathu La issue. But there are sometimes reports of clashes between Indian and Chinese troops.
What is LAC?
There has never been any official border between India and the frontier. The reasons for this are limited to China. China does not consider any borders.
During the 1962 war, Chinese troops even entered Ladakh and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Later, after the ceasefire, it was decided to regard the area where the two countries’ troops were deployed as the LAC, or Line of Actual Control. This is a kind of ceasefire line.
The Line of Actual Control separates the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir from the Aksai Chin region illegally occupied by China. LAC passes through Ladakh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
