India’s National Security Adviser and China’s Foreign Minister agree to increase efforts to disengage along disputed border.

NEW DELHI—Both India and China have committed to accelerating efforts to resolve their long-standing border disagreement, following a high-level meeting between Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Nevertheless, experts emphasize that achieving complete disengagement along the India—China border is a complex process that will not happen easily, given the current perceptions of the border.

The meeting between the two officials took place in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 12, coinciding with the 14th annual BRICS national security advisers meeting. Initially consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, BRICS expanded in 2010 to include South Africa and, last year, welcomed the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

“Both parties have committed to working urgently and intensifying their efforts to achieve complete disengagement in the remaining areas,” the Indian External Affairs ministry stated on the day of the meeting.

The officials reviewed their recent initiatives to address pending issues along what India refers to as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Indian statement suggested that an “early resolution” would pave the way for stabilizing and rebuilding bilateral relations.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated during a regular press conference on Sep. 13, “In recent years, the frontline armies of both countries have achieved disengagement in four areas in the Western sector of the China-India border, including the Galwan Valley, where a violent clash occurred in 2020.”

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Describing the current border situation as “generally stable and under control,” Mao mentioned that during the Doval–Wang meeting, “The two sides discussed the progress made in recent consultations on border issues and agreed to fulfill the common understandings reached by the leaders of both countries, build mutual understanding and trust, create conditions for enhancing bilateral relations, and maintain communication towards this goal.”

India and China have a disputed border spanning over 2,000 miles, and each side holds a different view of the boundary. Chinese assertions have consistently evolved since 1949, when communist leader Mao Zedong amalgamated Tibet and East Turkestan. This act eliminated a crucial buffer zone and brought the Chinese border to India’s doorstep.

In 1962, the two nations engaged in a significant war in which the Chinese advanced into Indian territory. Chinese intrusions persisted following the war. However, the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020, resulting in the loss of lives on both sides, marked a severe escalation.

Subsequently, they reconvened in late July in Laos during an ASEAN meeting to review the situation once more.

Indian and Chinese officials met again at the “31st Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India–China Border Affairs” in Beijing on Aug. 29. Both sides agreed to “collaborate to address the border situation promptly in line with the guiding principles of the vital common understandings between the foreign ministers of both countries,” informed Chinese state media Global Times.

‘Easier Said Than Done’

Despite the widespread coverage of the Doval–Yi meeting, experts caution that achieving disengagement will be challenging.

“Implementing disengagement is easier said than done, primarily because China has never acknowledged altering the status quo in Eastern Ladakh,” explained Claude Arpi, a French-born China expert based in India, in an interview with The Epoch Times on Sept. 13.

In 2021, China’s Legislature passed a land borders law mandating that the state shall “promote coordination between border defense and social, economic development in border areas,” fuelling China’s establishment of significant civilian and military infrastructure along the border.

Arpi highlighted that the differing perceptions of the current border by India and China add to the complexity of their relationship.

“Moreover, there isn’t one LAC, but two: the Indian-perceived one and the Chinese-perceived one. Are both sides willing to agree on one LAC? That would be a first step,” he posited, noting that the “LAC” has shifted over time.

“Take a look at the Line agreed upon by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1956 (and reaffirmed in December 1959). It significantly differs from China’s current claims,” he remarked.

Speaking at the Geneva Center for Security Policy on Sept. 12, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar stated that “75 percent of disengagement issues have been resolved” in eastern Ladakh, but the remaining 25 percent pose the most challenging hurdles.

Arpi echoed Jaishankar’s assertion, emphasizing that resolving the remaining issues in eastern and northern Ladakh, such as Depsang and Demchok, will require substantial creativity and goodwill from both parties.

Depsang and Demchok: Persistent Points of Friction

Depsang, situated in eastern Ladakh within the disputed Aksai Chin region, is a high-altitude, table-top plateau divided by the LAC into Indian- and Chinese-controlled territories.

The village of Demchok, historically the final village in Ladakh before the Tibetan border, sits at the base of “Chhota Kailash,” a revered mountain in both Buddhist and Hindu traditions. After the 1962 Sino–Indian War, Demchok was split into Indian- and Chinese-administered sections, separated by a narrow strip of land and a stream. The Chinese portion falls under the Tibet Autonomous Region.

To address the lingering issues in these friction points, Arpi suggested that India and China must sign a map delineating an “agreed line of control or agreed buffer zone,” where troops from both sides would jointly or alternately patrol the area.

“This concept is already in practice in the Gogra-Hot Springs region,” Arpi added.

Situated between Depsang and Demchok on the LAC, Gogra and Hot Springs are patches of vegetation in the barren high-altitude region. Arpi noted that before being designated as a buffer zone, Gogra-Hot Springs was a disputed area acknowledged by both sides.

Engaging While Disengaging

Meanwhile, evidence suggests that while China is undergoing disengagement, it is simultaneously enhancing its military presence along the LAC.

Recent satellite imagery indicates the construction of a Chinese military facility at Pangong Tso, a remote lake straddling the LAC just south of Gogra-Hot Springs, where troops began disengaging late last year.

Images provided by the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies confirm the establishment of this base.

“Commercial satellite imagery also reveals the development of barracks and other new infrastructure in the Galwan Valley, indicating a growing permanent Chinese military presence along the border,” Rajeev and Stephenson noted in their report.