Modi, Xi Jinping discuss disengagement along LAC at BRICS: Will troops pull back?

There was a lot at stake for India at the BRICS Summit in South Africa. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the difference once again. There was increased speculation that he would meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping. The leaders held talks on the sidelines of the gathering and discussed the military stand-off between India and China in Ladakh since May 2020.

The outcome is what experts have dubbed a breakthrough to reduce tensions between the two neighbours.

We take a look at what unfolded at the meeting and what can we expect next.

What did Modi and Xi discuss?

PM Modi expressed concerns about the “unresolved issues” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during his meeting with Xi. The two leaders have agreed to “direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation” of troops at the border.

The prime minister underlined that maintenance of peace, and tranquillity in border areas and that respecting the LAC was essential for the normalisation of India-China ties, according to Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

#WATCH | Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra says, “Prime Minister had interactions with other BRICS leaders. In a conversation with President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the… pic.twitter.com/37YoxHeuC4

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023

“It was a conversation with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Prime Minister had interaction with other BRICS leaders. In the conversation with President Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister highlighted India's concerns over unresolved issues along the LAC and other areas along the India-China border,” Kwatra told reporters late Thursday.

Indian officials had said that there was no scheduled bilateral between the two. Modi and Xi came face to face at the BRICS leaders’ retreat hosted by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, on Tuesday. And then on Thursday, the two leaders were seen chatting and shaking hands after the joint media statements.

There were no interpreters present when the two spoke to each other and there was no one taking notes, according to a report by The Indian Express.

The meeting came amid strained ties between the two countries over border issues. While the two leaders had a brief encounter and exchanged pleasantries during a G20 dinner in Bali last year, this was their first handshake and talk since the dispute between the Indian Army and China’s Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in eastern Ladakh in 2020.

However, the talks have triggered another diplomatic row. China claimed that the meeting in South Africa took place at the request of India. However, this has been refuted by New Delhi. “There was a pending request from the Chinese side for a bilateral meeting,” government sources said, according to a report by NDTV.

The development comes days ahead of the Chinese president’s likely arrival in the National Capital for the G20 Summit hosted by India on 9 and 10 September.

Is a pullout of troops expected?

While Modi and Xi spoke about de-escalation, the extent of disengagement or where on the LAC will it take remains unclear.

However, a report in ThePrint suggests that the talks could mean that both sides could pull back some troops from the border. The militaries of both sides have reportedly discussed this as a confidence-building measure. The changes along the LAC could come in the next fortnight, ahead of the crucial G20 meeting.

On 14 August, India and China held the 19th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Chushul as part of the ongoing efforts for overall disengagement and de-escalation to resolve the stand-off in eastern Ladakh. Since they were unsuccessful, the talks were restarted a few days later.

Discussions were held at major general rank and below starting last Friday during which the effort was on to thrash out a workable solution, reports ThePrint. Both sides had agreed to “resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner” and to stop additional build-up for troops at the LAC.

What is the situation along the LAC now?

The Corps commander-level talks began in 2020. Since then, India and China have undertaken disengagement from five friction points: Galwan, the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, and Patrolling Points (PP) 15 and 17A in the Gogra-Hot Springs area.

The last movement was in September when the two militaries disengaged from PP-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area after several rounds of talks. The disengagement in some areas led to the creation of buffer zones, which restricted patrolling by the troops.

However, both armies have thousands of troops and military equipment along the border. Even before 2020 incursions by the Chinese army, issues of Depsang Plains and Demchok exist.

The Depsang Plains are close to Daulat Beg Oldie, a military base located in northern Ladakh. The friction began in 2013 when China troops intruded 18 km into the area. They have been blocking India’s access to PPs 10 to 13 from a bottleneck known as the Y-junction and the 972 sq km tract of land there, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The two countries agreed to withdraw from their positions but PLA has not vacated the area completely. India has deployed a separate brigade.

In Demchok in easter Ladakh, the Chinese army has stopped Indian graziers at the Saddle Pass of the Charding Ninglung Nullah (CNN) junction several times, The Indian Express reports, adding that it is within India’s perception of the LAC.

With inputs from agencies