India has announced a key breakthrough in its four-year border dispute with China, marking a major step toward de-escalation between the two nuclear-armed nations.
The agreement comes just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia for the BRICS summit, where he may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that both countries agreed on parameters for patrolling the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Ladakh to prevent further violations.
This development follows multiple rounds of diplomatic and military discussions over the past few weeks.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar noted that the two sides have now returned to the situation that existed along the LAC in 2020, when clashes resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Jaishankar described the agreement as a positive outcome, achieved through patient diplomacy, and emphasized the importance of restoring peace and tranquility to the border.
“If you disturb the peace and tranquility, how can the rest of the relationship go forward?” he remarked.
The border standoff, which has strained India-China relations since 2020, has impacted diplomatic and economic ties. Both sides have held over 30 rounds of talks to resolve the dispute, with recent discussions addressing patrolling and troop deployments. While no official confirmation has come from Beijing, Indian officials are optimistic that this agreement could lead to a return to normalcy along the LAC.
