Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday announced that India and China had completed the final phase of their withdrawal process by October 21, calling it a “positive development”. The comments were made during a joint press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra.
Elaborating on the withdrawal of troops, Jaishankar said, âOn October 21, we signed the final agreement for withdrawal of troops, making some progress earlier. These agreements are currently being implemented, with the latest primarily concerned with patrolling rights for both countries.
He further said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to hold a meeting between their national security advisers and foreign ministers. Jaishankar emphasized that once the process of withdrawal of troops is fully realized, the focus will be on tackling other challenges, including reducing military forces on the border.
This discussion between PM Modi and President Xi took place during the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. PM Modi highlighted the importance of relations between India and China, stressing its importance for the people of both countries as well as regional and global peace and stability.
Reiterating this sentiment, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had last week commented on the ongoing discussions at both diplomatic and military levels to resolve conflicts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He said there was a broad consensus to restore the situation on the ground based on mutual security principles. “Based on this agreement, the process of withdrawal of troops is almost complete,” Singh said. We will just try to move ahead with disengagement, but for this we will have to wait a little more.
The announcement comes after both countries ratified an agreement on patrolling arrangements in the border areas. Tensions between India and China escalated in 2020 due to Chinese military actions in eastern Ladakh, leading to a prolonged standoff that strained relations.
Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India said via social media platform X that Chinese and Indian troops are effectively implementing the agreed resolutions regarding the border situation. Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong expressed hope that bilateral relations will progress smoothly and will not be hindered by specific disagreements.
(Inputs from ANI)
