Rajnath Singh meets Chinese counterpart; review situation at LAC
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in Vientiane, Laos, on Wednesday. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers's Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus). During the meeting, they assessed the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and disengagement in places where the two sides had been at odds for more than four years.
Meeting follows recent LAC de-escalation agreement
The Singh-Jun meeting came after a recent agreement to de-escalate tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Both countries completed their disengagement at Demchok and Depsang last month, with regular patrolling by troops resuming after nearly four-and-a-half years of hiatus. Last week, India and China agreed to hold coordinated patrols in Demchok and Depsang. Each side will conduct one patrol per week in these areas, alternating every week.
Singh's visit to Laos part of ADMM-Plus meeting
Relations between the two countries deteriorated after skirmishes in the Galwan Valley in 2020. However, the LAC accord now tries to resolve these problems while maintaining the pre-2020 quo. On November 18, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with his Chinese colleague Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio. "We noted the progress in the recent disengagement in the India-China border areas. We also exchanged views on further steps in our bilateral ties," Jaishankar said.
Four-year military standoff led to disengagement agreement
These developments come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in October. Both committed to strive for a "peaceful and stable" relationship, emphasizing maturity and mutual respect. They also emphasized the importance of ensuring that disagreements over boundary issues do not disrupt peace and tranquility along the LAC.
