Sun Nov 03 13:05:10 UTC 2024: ## India and China Make Progress in Disengagement at LAC: Jaishankar
**Brisbane, November 3, 2024:** India and China have made progress in disengaging troops at friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced on Sunday. The development comes after Indian and Chinese troops completed disengagement at Demchok and Depsang Plains following several weeks of negotiations.
“We have made some progress in what we call disengagement,” Jaishankar stated during an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Brisbane, Australia. “Our relations were very disturbed for reasons all of you know,” he acknowledged, referencing the tense standoff that began in 2020.
While describing the disengagement as a “welcome step,” Jaishankar emphasized that significant challenges remain. He noted the presence of a large number of Chinese troops along the LAC, a situation that prompted India to counter-deploy its own forces. The minister highlighted that several aspects of the bilateral relationship were affected during the standoff and that the disengagement opens the possibility for further steps to normalize relations.
The disengagement follows an agreement reached between India and China after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last month. This agreement, confirmed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Delhi, aims to resolve the issues arising from the 2020 standoff. The breakthrough marks a significant development towards ending the over four-year military confrontation that began with the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020.
The minister indicated that the next step involves meetings between national security advisors and foreign ministers from both countries. While cautiously optimistic, Jaishankar emphasized the need to carefully assess the direction of the relationship post-disengagement.
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