Subhechcha Ganguly 
S. Jaishankar announced today that the disengagement process between India and China has been finalized. The External Affairs Minister explained that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has reverted to its status prior to May 2020. Relations between the two nations soured following China’s aggressive actions at the LAC in April-May 2020, culminating in the tragic loss of 20 Indian soldiers during a confrontation in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, along with an unspecified number of Chinese casualties in the intense hand-to-hand combat that ensued. Over the past four years, India and China have engaged in multiple rounds of diplomatic and military discussions to resolve these tensions.
“The Foreign Secretary’s remarks align with my own: we have reached an agreement on patrolling, which has allowed us to return to the situation as it was in 2020. I can confirm that the disengagement process with China has been completed. There are certain areas that, for various reasons, were affected after 2020 due to mutual blockages. However, we have now come to an understanding that enables patrolling,” he stated, according to ANI at an NDTV event.
“I believe the understanding is that we will resume the patrolling activities we conducted in 2020. This is a positive development and a result of patient and persistent diplomacy. We’ve been in negotiations since September 2020, when I met my counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow. I think this creates a foundation for restoring the peace and tranquility in the border areas that existed before 2020,” he added.
