‘Will take time’: S Jaishankar on India-China disengagement at LAC in Ladakh

He said the disengagement of troops at Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh is the first step toward ending hostilities along the Line of Actual Control.

He said the next step would be de-escalation. However, he said, it will not take place until India is sure that the Chinese are doing the same, reported PTI.

In a breakthrough, India and China earlier this month said the two countries had reached an agreement on patrolling and disengagement in Depsang and Demchok, ending the four-year-long standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Also read: India, China to pull back from LAC by October 29

S Jaishankar said the government hopes the 2020 status along the Line of Actual Control will be restored.

“It is obvious it will take time to implement the same. This is the issue of disengagement and patrolling which meant our armies had come very close to each other and now they have gone back to their bases. We hope the 2020 status is restored,” he told PTI.

Also read: Army chief on China: ‘Disengagement after situation returns to 2020 status quo’

“After de-escalation, how to manage the borders will be discussed,” he added.

India and China’s bilateral relations deteriorated after June 15, 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting a Chinese attack. An unspecified number of Chinese troops also perished in the brutal hand-to-hand combat in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.

Also read: How PM Modi convinced China on LAC patrolling agreement

The disengagement began on October 23, two days after India and China announced a breakthrough in negotiations to resolve their stand-off in Depsang and Demchok, the two remaining flashpoints in Ladakh.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia’s Kazan. At the bilateral meeting, the first since 2019, PM Modi said maintaining peace at the border should be the two countries’ priority.

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