S Jaishankar to brief Lok Sabha today on India-China border truce progress

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to make a statement in the winter session of Lok Sabha on Monday regarding the recent developments in India-China relations following the border disengagement agreement.

Jaishankar’s address to the Lok Sabha follows his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whom he met weeks ago on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil, marking the first high-level interaction between India and China after the border deal.

India and China announced a major border breakthrough in October to end the longstanding standoff that followed the 2020 Galwan clash, during which both armies had amassed troops, military infrastructure, and temporary posts on each side. Beijing stated that a resolution had been reached on “relevant matters” and that it would work alongside New Delhi to implement the terms of the agreement.

Following this, both armies began disengagement, dismantling the structures they had set up, starting with the friction points in Depsang and Demchok, and pulling back personnel to the positions held prior to the confrontation. The process completed two friction points in the Ladakh region and will continue at other points.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral discussions on the margins of the Brics summit in Kazan in October, and both leaders directed officials of their respective countries to carry forward the discussions at multiple levels.

Jaishankar was part of a series of discussions held in the recent past that led to the historic border agreement between the two Asian giants.

Ending the military standoff between India and China is expected to have a significant impact on trade, technology, manufacturing, and other areas of bilateral cooperation. Jaishankar recently noted that the “tension” seen in the past four years has “not served either of us well”.