‘Unimaginable diplomacy and military efforts behind India-China LAC patrolling breakthrough’: Jaishankar 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar praised the recent breakthrough with China regarding patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), attributing it to both the military’s efforts in “very unimaginable” conditions and skilled diplomacy. 

During an interaction with students in Pune on October 26, Jaishankar noted that while progress has been made, it’s still premature to expect a full normalisation of relations, as rebuilding trust and cooperation will take time. 

He recalled that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Kazan, they agreed that the foreign ministers and National Security Advisors from both countries would convene to discuss future steps. 

“If we have reached this point today, it’s due to our determined efforts to assert our position. The military was present at the LAC under incredibly challenging circumstances to defend the nation, and both military and diplomacy played their roles,” Jaishankar stated. 

He highlighted that over the past decade, India has significantly improved its border infrastructure, which had been neglected in earlier years. “We now allocate five times more resources annually than we did a decade ago, and this investment is yielding results, enabling effective military deployment,” he explained. 

Earlier this week, India announced an agreement with China regarding patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, marking a significant step towards resolving a military standoff that has lasted over four years. 

Since 2020, the border situation has been highly tense, adversely affecting overall bilateral relations. Jaishankar mentioned that India has been in negotiations with China since September 2020 to seek a resolution. 

The External Affairs Minister outlined various aspects of the solution, starting with disengagement, as troops are stationed very close to one another, creating risks of escalation. He also referred to the need for de-escalation due to troop buildups on both sides. 

Jaishankar elaborated that while there has been some understanding on troop withdrawals since 2020, a major issue remained around patrolling access. “There was obstruction of patrolling, and we’ve been negotiating this for the last two years. On October 21, we reached an agreement that patrolling would resume in certain areas like Depsang and Demchok, returning to pre-existing practices,” he concluded.