NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the “disengagement chapter” with China has been concluded, marking the end of a recent phase in troop withdrawal across contested border zones along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.
Speaking in Canberra, Australia, he noted that focus will now shift to de-escalation, which involves a significant reduction of troop presence along the LAC.
Reflecting on the recent October 21 negotiations between India and China, Jaishankar said that the final disengagement steps addressed troop separation in the contentious areas of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.
“What we negotiated on October 21 was the last set of disengagement agreements, which essentially means after the summer of 2020, Chinese and Indian troops were deployed along with LoC in distances which were extremely concerning, priority has been finding the ways to separate the troops…also resuming patrol…the disengagement chapter has been done…the part which awaits us is de-escalation which is the build-up of forces along LoC,” he said.

Jaishankar further added, “at the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, what was agreed was that Foreign Minister and National Security Advisor would meet their counterparts…how do we actually see this relation is that…it is quite a challenge because you have two most populous countries in the world, both of whom have been rising, in a broadly parallel time frame.”
Acknowledging the complexity of establishing an “equilibrium” between the two populous nations Jaishankar said, “how do you establish an equilibrium between yourselves at the border areas…as well as establish a working relationship on other issues…how do your new expressions of influence and activities impact on the relationship in a way come into contact with each other, these are really a complex set of issues and do require lot of thinking and management”
Earlier on Sunday, speaking to the Indian community in Brisbane, Australia, Jaishankar said that the progress made along the LAC is “welcome” and could lead to further positive steps in the India-China relationship.
His remarks came after Indian and Chinese troops completed disengagement at major friction points in Demchok and the Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh.
He also referenced a recent meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi in Russia, where plans were set for further discussions involving India’s national security advisor and the foreign ministry. “So that’s where things are,” he said, adding that the disengagement “opens up the possibility that other steps could happen.”
Reflecting on the overall state of bilateral relations, Jaishankar commented, “Our relations were very, very disturbed for reasons all of you know. We have made some progress in what we call disengagement, which is when troops were very close to each other, with the possibility that could lead to some untoward incident.”