Border Dispute Resolution: India Proposes Four-Step Strategy to China
Capital Talk: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh locks horns with China's Admiral Dong Jun at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) gathering in Qingdao. The private huddle, marking India's highest-level military dialogue with China in recent times, aimed to hammer out a strategy for securing tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and devising a long-term plan for border stability.
A Four-Step Plan of Action
During their tête-à-tête, Singh proposed a four-step blueprint to avert further discord between the two nations:
- Strict Compliance with the 2024 Disengagement Agreement: Both parties are expected to adhere to and execute the disengagement agreement signed in October the previous year, covering the remaining contentious points in Eastern Ladakh, specifically Demchok and Depsang.
- De-escalation Efforts: Singh urged continuous endeavors to de-escalate tensions and prevent any further outbreaks along the LAC.
- Boundary Demarcation and Delimitation: Singh urged swift negotiations towards finalising the boundary demarcation process. " Singh emphasized the importance of border management and reviving the established mechanism concerning the issue," a government statement confirmed.
- Trust-Building Measures: The Defence Minister underlined the need to create amicable neighborly relations to obtain the "optimum mutual benefits" and to cooperate for stability in Asia and the world. He also highlighted the necessity of bridging the "trust gap" created in the aftermath of the 2020 border skirmish.
This interaction signifies the first high-level military engagement since India and China reached an understanding on the disengagement process at Demchok and Depsang Plains in October 2024. That agreement was the culmination of intense negotiations, leading to a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan during the BRICS Summit.
The dialogue happened concurrently with the revival of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra following a nearly six-year halt. Initially suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later due to the border tussle, the pilgrimage to the Tibet Autonomous Region was viewed by both sides as a symbolic gesture towards normalization.
Terror Strikes Back
Singh also touched upon cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, particularly focusing on the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which left 26 casualties. Singh offered his Chinese counterpart an insight into Operation Sindoor, India's counter-terrorism initiative aimed at obliterating terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
Singh declined to append his signature on the joint SCO Defence Ministers' declaration that omitted any mention of terrorism or the Pahalgam attack. India perceived the omission as a calculated attempt to underplay terrorism in the region. The final version of the SCO document instead made reference to Balochistan, which New Delhi interpreted as a veiled accusation.
- Theimportance of political negotiations and agreements, such as the one concerning war-and-conflicts like the one between India and China along the Line of Actual Control, was underscored during the ministerial dialogue at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering.
- In addition to discussing border issues, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also raised concerns about general news topics like cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, specifically referencing the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and the need for international cooperation to combat such threats.
