New Delhi: Trust remains a paramount factor in India-China relations, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said Tuesday, adding the force was looking at disengagement and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Speaking at an event titled “Decade of Transformation: Indian Army in Stride with the Future” at the United Service Institution of India (USI) in New Delhi, the Chief of Army Staff said both nations were exploring ways to restore trust at the border.
His comments came a day after Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistri announced that Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators had been in close contact and had agreed on an arrangement for patrolling areas along the LAC. The areas include Depsang Plains and Demchok, friction points that remained unresolved, as reported by ThePrint. It is estimated that patrolling will now be done in all regions, from PP10 to PP13, as was the case before 2020.
This will also mean that Chinese troops will pull back to their earlier positions and not block Indian troops from the “bottleneck” area as they have been doing since 2020. The “bottleneck” is several kilometres inside what India considers its territory.
Both countries had earlier disengaged at Galwan, the north bank of Pangong Tso, Kailash Range and the Gogra-Hot Springs, creating buffer zones in these areas.
General Dwivedi’s statement also came on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the BRICS summit in Russia. Modi is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.
“As far as we are concerned, we were looking at going back to the status quo of April 2020. Thereafter, we will be looking at disengagement, de-escalation and normal management of LAC,” the Army chief said, adding that “normal management of LAC” will be achieved in a phased manner.
He added, “We have been asserting our stance from April 2020 when Lt Gen Y.K. Joshi was the Army Commander, and even today, it remains the same.” Lt Gen Joshi was the Commander-in-Chief of Northern Command from 2020 to 2022.
“As of now, we are trying to restore trust … It will get restored once we are able to see each other and are able to convince each other that the buffer zones created … we are not keeping,” General Dwivedi said.
He further said both sides would have to “reassure each other,” adding, “Patrolling gives us that kind of advantage. So that’s something which is commencing. And as we are restoring trust, the other stages will also follow through soon.”
General Dwivedi jokingly said, “I think this is a diplomatic answer given by a military man.”
While the Ministry of External Affairs has stated the progress made in talks aimed at resolving the border standoff, the Ministry of Defence has yet to issue a statement.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: India-China end 4-yr LAC standoff. CutTheClutter on the new protocols & political implications