Last update:November 19, 2024, 4:06 p.m. IST

Jaishankar and Wang held delegation-level talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday evening.

The Indian and Chinese militaries completed the disengagement exercise at Demchok and Depsang late last month after the two sides reached an agreement following a series of negotiations aimed at resolving the lingering border dispute.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi deliberated on the next steps in India-China relations, in the first weeks of high-level engagement after the disengagement of militaries of both sides from the Demchok friction points and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.

Jaishankar and Wang held delegation-level talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday evening.

In a message on ‘X’, the Foreign Minister said the two sides took note of the progress made in the recent disengagement from the border areas and exchanged views on the next steps in bilateral relations.

The Indian and Chinese militaries completed the disengagement exercise at Demchok and Depsang late last month after the two sides reached an agreement following a series of negotiations aimed at resolving the lingering border dispute.

The two sides also resumed patrolling activities in the two areas after a hiatus of almost four and a half years.

“On the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio, I met CPC Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China,” Jaishankar said.

“We have noted the progress made in the recent disengagement in the border areas between India and China. And we exchanged views on the next steps in our bilateral relations. We also discussed the global situation,” he said.

In a speech in Delhi on Saturday, Jaishankar said the disengagement part of the “problem” with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh has been sorted and the focus should now be put on de-escalation. .

It is “reasonable” to expect some improvement in relations after the latest round of disengagement, he said, but he was reluctant to say there could be a reset of ties.

The Indian and Chinese military are each carrying out a series of patrols in Depsang and Demchok, sources familiar with the matter said.

At the same time, they said both sides have maintained their deployment of troops along the LAC and the focus will now be on de-escalation of the overall situation.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the region.

Multi-level talks are underway towards de-escalation, the sources said.

After India and China reached an agreement on October 21 for disengagement at Depsang and Demchok, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said the Indian Army was trying to restore “confidence” and that both parties will need to “reassure each other” to achieve this objective.

Two days after the deal was concluded, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in the Russian city of Kazan.

The two leaders approved the agreement on patrols and disengagement and issued instructions to restart various bilateral dialogue mechanisms, signaling attempts to normalize relations.

In the nearly 50-minute meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Modi stressed the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not letting them disrupt peace and tranquility in the border areas.

The Prime Minister said mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of relations.

India maintains that its relations with China cannot be normal without peace in the border areas.

The standoff on the eastern border of Ladakh broke out on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)