LAC Standoff: India, China Reach 5-Point Agreement On De-Escalating Tension

S. Jaishankar, Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi in Moscow.Pic courtesy AP/PTI

India and China on Friday reached a five-point agreement to disengage and de-escalate tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

This followed a two-and-half hour bilateral talk between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi.

Jaishankar and Wang Yi met in Moscow on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting.

According to a joint statement, issued by Ministry of External Affairs, the ministers had a “frank and constructive” discussion on developments in India-China border areas, as well as on India-China relations.

The two ministers agreed that the prevailing situation is not in the interest of either side. “They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions,” the MEA statement said.

This is not the first time that India and China have agreed to de-escalate tension on the border, but there have been repeated violations even after bilateral talks at different levels.

Both sides acknowledged the need to abide by all existing agreements and protocols on India-China boundary affairs, maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and avoid any action that could escalate matters, the statement said.

They also agreed that the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), should continue its meetings.

The statement issued by Chinese embassy says, “the two sides reached a five-point consensus regarding the current situation after a full, in-depth discussion”.

“China-India relations have once again come to a crossroads. But as long as the two sides keep moving the relationship in the right direction, there will be no difficulty or challenge that can’t be overcome,” the Chinese statement quoted the minister as saying.

Before the bilateral meeting, the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China held an hour-and-half long lunch meeting, which was hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

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