Disengagement on all friction points in eastern Ladakh alone will ease border tension, improve overall India-China ties

In a weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday stated that both sides are in touch through diplomatic and military channels on the issue of further disengagement of the troops.

According to reports, in February, India and China had completed thinning down of troops and withdrawal of arms and artillery units along the north and south banks of Pangong Lake but could not make progress on disengagement from other points of tension.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed to set up a holine but couldn't reach an agreement to take the disengagement process forward.

“As the external affairs minister had pointed out to the Chinese foreign minister, a prolongation of the situation is in neither side’s interest. We, therefore, hope that the Chinese side will work with us to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest,” Bagchi said.

“There is a consensus that the two sides should now quickly resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh,” Bagchi said.

"We, therefore, hope that the Chinese side will work with us to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest," he added.

This would lead to disengagement of forces around the eastern Ladakh which is the only way to deescalate tension in other friction points and create an environment for the progress of the bilateral ties.

"The disengagement in Pangong Lake area was a significant step forward and it has provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in western sector," he said.

After the disengagement at Pangong Lake, India and China engaged in senior military commander-level talks for the 10th time on February 20, the phone call between Jaishankar and his Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on February 26, and a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs on March 12.

India has been insisting that peace and tranquility in the border areas is important for the overall development of the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

It has been also asserting on the resolution of all outstanding issues including Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra.