Editorial: Go beyond incremental progress

China has been rapidly ramping up both civilian and military infrastructure all along the LAC and conducting military drills in border areas that have focused on rapid deployment of troops from other regions

The decision on phased withdrawal of Indian and Chinese troops from one of the friction areas in the Ladakh region is a positive development but there is no reason to drop the guard as Beijing refuses to recognise the status quo as it existed in April 2020, when the current military standoff began. The agreement on disengagement of frontline troops in the Hot Springs area along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) came after months of protracted negotiations between the military commanders of the two countries. While the move is the right step towards restoration of peace, there is a need to resolve all the pending border disputes once and for all, as suggested by the Indian side. China continues to complicate the matters by claiming that the status quo was created by “illegal trespassing on the Indian side” — a contention that goes against the ground realities. Restoration of the status quo and the violation of agreements and protocols for border management through China’s action of amassing troops along the LAC are among the key issues raised by New Delhi. Hot Springs is only the third friction point where the two countries have agreed on the disengagement of troops, during the 16th round of Corps Commander level meeting, but the bigger problems at the friction points of Depsang and Demchok remain to be addressed, largely due to the intransigence of the Chinese side. China has persistently refused to accept these two locations as friction points, contending they are not part of the current face-off.

The site of the latest disengagement is near the area where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the June 2020 clash. The disengagement process has been slow because China is not in favour of completely pulling back from the friction points. India, on the other hand, wants withdrawal of troops from friction points leaving only reserve troops and material just behind the disputed areas. China has been rapidly ramping up both civilian and military infrastructure all along the LAC, including airports, railway facilities, roads and missile bases and conducting military drills in border areas that have focused on rapid deployment of troops from other regions. This is causing alarm on the Indian side and does not augur well for resolution of the pending disputes. The infrastructure built by the Chinese in the last two years suggests they are in no mood to withdraw forces and return to a pre-2020 military position. The legacy disputes in areas like the Depsang Plains in northeastern Ladakh and Demchok in the southeastern part remain unresolved. With the PLA trying to shift the LAC westwards, the unresolved areas could turn into new flashpoints. A new crisis in eastern Ladakh or elsewhere along the LAC would undo the gains made in the form of disengagement over the last two years.

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