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EYE ON INDIA JANUARY 31, 2025 | The Indian Eye 6

INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS

Two Asian giants engage at highest level to

take next steps in political and economic areas

India and China had reached an agreement in October on patrolling arrangements

in the Depsang Plains and Demchok, two friction points along the LAC

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi/Beijing
n an important move, Indian Foreign Secre-
tary Vikram Misri will visit Beijing on January
I26 and 27 for a meeting of the Foreign Sec-
retary-Vice Minister mechanism between India
and China. Ministry of External Affairs said in a
release that the resumption of this bilateral mech-
anism flows from the agreement at the leadership
level to discuss the next steps for India-China rela-
tions, including in the political, economic, and peo-
ple-to-people domains.
The visit comes just days after Donald Trump
assumed the president’s office in the US.
India and China had reached an agreement
in October on patrolling arrangements in the De-
psang Plains and Demchok, two friction points
along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The un-
derstanding was reached after earlier disengage-
ment in other friction points in eastern Ladakh fol-
lowing meetings at diplomatic and military levels.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in
his remarks in Parliament in December last year
that the conclusion of disengagement has set the
bilateral ties “in the direction of some improve-
ment”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Chi- According to the Indian Army chief some places were declared as a “temporary moratorium” in the forward areas in Ladakh (ANI)
nese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the
16th BRICS Summit at Kazan on October 23, Special Representatives (SRs) of India and common areas as there are chances that the “vio-
2024. PM Modi had welcomed the agreement for China NSA Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, Member of lence level” might increase.
complete disengagement and resolution of issues the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of “Where you feel that the nature or the degree
that arose in 2020 in the India-China border ar- China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of of violence can be high and the fuse is short, you
eas and underscored the importance of properly Foreign Affairs, met in Beijing on December 18 create some distances. So, when we carried out
handling differences and disputes and not allowing last year. these negotiations over a period of time, some
them to disturb peace and tranquility. Recently, a few eyebrows were raised when places were declared as a temporary moratorium.
The two leaders agreed that the Special Rep- Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi ap- It means that both sides will remain back and will
resentatives on the India-China boundary question prised about the situation at Line of Actual Con- not go to the common areas because we still feel
will meet at an early date to oversee the manage- trol (LAC), saying that the situation was “stable but that if we meet at those places the violence level
ment of peace and tranquility in border areas and sensitive”. When asked about the situation at the may go high,” he added.
to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually accept- LAC, Gen. Dwivedi had said, “It is stable but sen- The trust between India and China has a new
able solution to the boundary question. sitive. There have been a series of meetings. Even definition, Gen Dwivedi said, adding that there
The two leaders had also affirmed that stable, the Prime Minister has met the Chinese head.” was a need to come to a broader understanding in
predictable, and amicable bilateral relations be- The Army chief further said that from April order to calm the situation and restore the trust.
tween India and China, as two neighbors and the 20 onwards, both sides had moved forward and “After April 20, the trust between the two
two largest nations on earth, will have a positive im- stopped the other side from going to the tradi- countries has to have a new definition. Therefore,
pact on regional and global peace and prosperity. tional areas of Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh, there is a requirement for us to sit together and
The two leaders had underlined the need to where they were carrying out the patrolling. thereafter come to a broader understanding of
progress bilateral relations from a strategic and The Army chief informed that some places how we want to calm down the situation and re-
long-term perspective, enhance strategic commu- were declared as a “temporary moratorium” amid store trust. We are now looking forward to the next
nication and explore cooperation to address devel- the discussions during the violence. Gen Dwivedi special representatives meeting which should take
opmental challenges. said that both sides will refrain from visiting the place,” Dwivedi said.

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