The four-and-a-half-year India-China stalemate appears to be coming to an end. An agreement has been reached between the two countries on patrols in eastern Ladakh. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that there are differences of opinion among big countries, but this is a great success. Now the situation in LAC will be like before 2020.
External Affairs Minister Vikram Mistry said talks were going on between India and China at diplomatic and military levels for the past few weeks. From this conversation, a consensus was reached on patrolling in LAC.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said in a program that after 2020, there were many areas where they had locked down and we had locked them down. But now an agreement has been reached on patrols. Now we will be able to patrol where we were patrolling until 2020.
China has also ratified this agreement. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said an agreement has been reached between the two sides and we will work together with India.
How were things between the two of you?
In June 2020, a clash took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Galwan Valley in Ladakh. 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in this clash. Since then, the standoff between India and China over the LAC continued.
The road to the agreement reached between India and China was not easy. External Affairs Minister Vikram Mistry said that the agreement between India and China is the result of several weeks of negotiations. He said that for several weeks both countries have been working through various channels.
There were 21 rounds of meetings between the military commanders of the two countries and 31 rounds of meetings between diplomats. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
What was the agreement?
Not much information has been revealed about this deal between India and China. However, the situation in LAC will be the same as before June 2020.
Jaishankar has said that Indian and Chinese soldiers will now be able to patrol the LAC in the same way as they did before the border tension began. Thanks to this agreement, it will now also be possible to patrol in Depsang and Demchok.
Patrolling in Depsang is also important from India’s point of view because Daulat Beg, near the Karakoram Pass, is 30 kilometers from Oldie Post. There is also a flat area between the hills, which can be used for military activities. While Demchok falls near the Indus River. If China had control here, there was a danger that it would affect the water supply in the northern states of India.
According to the Indian Express report, as per the agreement, the Indian Army can patrol from patrol points 10 to 13 in Depsang and up to the Charding drain in Demchok.
In some media it is said that the armies of both countries will be able to patrol twice a month. Previously there were 13 to 18 soldiers in the patrol team, but now there will only be 14 to 15 soldiers. Apart from this, both countries will share the patrol date, so that there are no conflicts of any kind.
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What’s the deal with patrol points?
The border with China is divided into three sectors: eastern, middle and western. The border with Ladakh falls in the western sector. This border is 1,597 kilometers long. LAC i.e. the Line of Actual Control is not fixed in the western sector.
After the 1962 war, India withdrew its army from the LAC in eastern Ladakh in 1970. Due to this the infiltration of Chinese soldiers had increased. Therefore, where boundaries were not fixed, patrolling points were created on the LAC, where Indian soldiers could patrol.
In 1976, India set up 65 patrolling points on the LAC. Patrol Point 1 is at the Karakoram Pass and 65 is at Chumar. These patrol points can be easily identified, but have not been marked.
What happens at patrol points?
The India-China border has not been decided by patrolling points. But these are disputed areas. Soldiers from both countries patrol these patrol points. Some protocols are also set for this.
Sometimes soldiers from both countries come on patrol at the same time. In such a situation, the protocol is that if one side sees the other’s patrol team, it will stop there. In such a situation nothing is said. Rather, a banner is displayed. It is written on the Indian sign: “You are in Indian territory, go back.” Similarly, it is written on China’s banner: “You are in China’s territory, go back.”
In recent years, it has been seen that in such situations, soldiers from both countries clash against each other instead of retreating. This is the reason why there are often reports of clashes and scuffles between soldiers of both sides in the LAC. But after the agreement, there are hopes that there will be no clashes on the border.
What is the effect of the agreement?
The greatest impact of this agreement will be that the tension that existed after the confrontation in the Galván Valley has almost ended. Now the armies of both countries will return to their positions on the LAC before June 2020.
However, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi says we want to get back on track by April 2020.
There were conflicts between India and China in five places on the LAC: Depsang, Demchok, Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and Gogra Hot Spring. After several rounds of talks after 2020, the armies of both countries withdrew from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and Gogra hot springs. However, there was a danger of conflict due to the deployment of troops in Depsang and Demchok.
But now, after the agreement, the Indian and Chinese armies will withdraw from five places and will be able to patrol here as before. This will keep peace on the border.
What are these buffer zones?
Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said the decision to create a buffer zone on the LAC is an important step and now both sides must decide that these areas must be respected. He said that we have to ensure that there is no infiltration in the buffer zone.
But what is this buffer zone? In fact, since the withdrawal of armies, buffer zones have been maintained in Pangong, Galwan Valley, Gogra and Hot Spring in eastern Ladakh. The buffer zone is the place where neither Indian nor Chinese soldiers can patrol.
Buffer zones were created so that there is peace on the border and no tensions. Discussions are also currently underway regarding patrolling in the buffer zone.
Also Read: From Aksai Chin to Tawang… Where is the tension between India and China? Read: The story of the world’s longest disputed border.
Which parts 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 thousand feet. The 44 km area of this lake is located in India and approximately 90 km is located in China. LAC also passes through this lake. Because of this, confusion persists here and there is a dispute between the two countries.
2. Galwan Valley (Ladakh)
Galwan Valley lies between Ladakh and Aksai Chin. Here LAC Aksai separates China from India. This valley extends to southern Xinjiang of China and Ladakh of India. In June 2020, there was a violent clash in the Galwan Valley.
3. Doklam (Bhutan)
Although Doklam is a dispute between Bhutan and China, it is located near the Sikkim border. It is a kind of triple union, from which China, Bhutan and India come closer. Both Bhutan and China claim this area. India supports Bhutan’s claim. There was tension between India and China over Doklam for about two and a half months in 2017.
4. Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
China has always had its eyes on Tawang, which is located in Arunachal Pradesh. Tawang is an important religious site for Buddhists. It is also called the largest Buddhist monastery in Asia. China has been calling Tawang part of Tibet. In the agreement signed in 1914, Tawang was declared a part of Arunachal. China had captured Tawang in the 1962 war but had to give up its occupation under the ceasefire.
5. Nathu La (Sikkim)
Nathu La is a mountain pass of the Himalayas. It connects Sikkim of India and the Chumbi Valley of southern Tibet. It is at an altitude of 14,200 feet. This is important for India because it is from here that pilgrims pass through to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. There is no dispute between India and China regarding Nathu La. But here there was also news of clashes between the armies of India and China.
What is ALC?
There has never been an official border between India and the border. And the reason for this is solely China. China does not consider any line as a border.
In the 1962 war, the Chinese army had even entered Ladakh and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Later, when the ceasefire occurred, it was decided that the area where the armies of both countries are deployed would be considered as LAC, that is, Line of Actual Control. This is a kind of ceasefire line.
The LAC separates Indian territory into Jammu and Kashmir and Aksai Chin, which is illegally occupied by China. LAC passes through Ladakh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
