Foreign ministers of India and China Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Wang Yi reached a “five-point agreement” during their talks in Moscow on the sidelines of the SCO summit on September 10 to reduce tensions on the Ladakh border. The Indian Express speaks with Major General Prof. G. G. Dwivedi (retired), who commands troops in this sector and served as a defense attaché in China to put these talks into perspective. According to the Chinese press release, State Councilor Wang said bilateral relations between the two Asian neighbors “have returned to the crossroads.” “But (he added) as long as both sides move the relationship in the right direction, there will be no difficulty or challenge that cannot be overcome.” In September last year, Mr. Jaishankar met with Mr. Wang in Moscow on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. The meeting took place in a tense stalemate along the LAC between the two armies, with reports of physical fighting along Pangong Tso Lake and the Galwan Valley in Ladakh. Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart that India remains concerned about the gathering of Chinese troops in the LAC, which is not in line with the 1993 and 1996 agreements. There was “no credible explanation for this operation which, as the minister said, had created hot spots along the LAC. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday and discussed the implementation of their “Moscow agreement” on the border situation in eastern Ladakh and the review of the state of withdrawal.
A five-point agreement was reached between Jaishankar and Wang at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conclave. It reaffirms the process of dialogue, withdrawal and de-escalation of the situation. All of this has been comprehensively addressed in the five previous agreements listed below: his quoted remarks contrasted with China`s recent statements, even after the September 4 defense ministers` meeting in Moscow. He did not blame India for the recent crisis, which has been the subject of several Chinese statements by the Foreign Ministry and the People`s Liberation Army in recent weeks. • The 1993 Peace and Tranquillity Agreement forms the basis for all subsequent agreements. “We welcome the agreements reached by the foreign ministers of China and India during the February 25 telephone conversation,” she added. The process of dialogue between nations is crucial, especially when the two are neighbors with strained relations. This meeting between the two foreign ministers was an attempt to break the deadlock, as a series of talks took place at several levels without producing results. It was also a good perspective, especially for China, as the communist leadership sought to demonstrate its sincerity in solving problems through dialogue.
Technically, the conflict situation consists of actions such as the construction of fortifications, clashes between patrol boats, the laying of mines, air intrusion, as well as some provocative political actions. The five-point plan is as follows: follow the consensus between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to “not allow differences to turn into disputes”, withdraw quickly to ease tensions, adhere to existing Indochinese border protocols and avoid escalation of measures, continue dialogue between special envoys, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang, as well as other mechanisms, and work towards new confidence-building measures. Additional agreements are not necessary. The point of contention is their implementation, as they have been violated by the People`s Liberation Army in pursuit of its “nibble and negotiate” strategy. In fact, all of these agreements have only helped China consolidate its claims over a period of time by waging a “bulletless” war. At a press briefing, the official said Moscow welcomes the agreements between India and China to resolve the issue. The strategic leadership mechanism that developed in Wuhan and was later reconfirmed in Mamallapuram between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping has not kept its promises despite the fact that Xi is the supreme commander of the People`s Liberation Army. The meeting between the foreign ministers was facilitated and promoted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who received them at the SCO meeting. Later, a Russia-India-China lunch set the stage for Thursday`s bilateral talks. It is expected that the special representatives` talks and another meeting of the working mechanism for consultation and coordination on Indochinese border issues will follow. The two sides also issued separate notes outlining their positions, suggesting there are still differences in their agreement on the situation at the LAC, which this summer saw violent clashes, the deaths of soldiers and exchanges of fire for the first time in 45 years. .