India-China LAC row enters fourth year, impasse persists

As the military standoff with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) enters its fourth year, New Delhi is in no mood to acquiesce to Beijing’s recent efforts to promote a narrative that the situation in Ladakh is stable and moving towards “normalised management”, people familiar with the matter said.

The border row in eastern Ladakh erupted into the open with a skirmish between troops of the two nations at Pangong Lake in early May 2020. A brutal clash at Galwan Valley the following month, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troopers, took bilateral ties to their lowest point in six decades.

The resolution of outstanding problems along the LAC appears elusive, with the latest round of military talks between the two sides on April 23 yielding no outcome, and the last breakthrough coming in September 2022.

Amid the impasse, China has sought to push a narrative that the situation in Ladakh is generally stable and the two countries should move towards normalisation. The latest Chinese leader to push this narrative was defence minister General Li Shangfu, who said at a meeting with his Indian counterpart last week that the border is “generally stable” and the two countries should “place the border issue in an appropriate position” and “promote the transition of the border situation to normalised management”.

India-China relations cannot be normalised without peace and tranquillity on the LAC, the people cited above said, requesting anonymity. In this context, they pointed to friction points such as Depsang and Demchok and external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s recent remarks that the situation on the LAC remains “very fragile” as there are points where Indian and Chinese troop deployments are “quite dangerous”.

“The Chinese side has been putting out a narrative about moving towards normalisation on the border. That is not going to happen,” one of the people said.

The border talks have been deadlocked since the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) pulled back troops from Patrolling Point-15 in September 2022. That disengagement, the fourth since the LAC row erupted in early May 2020, took place after the 16th round of talks between military commanders on July 17, 2022.

Despite four rounds of disengagement at Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), India and China still have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in Ladakh.

Problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table. At the 18th round of military talks on April 23, the two sides only agreed on maintaining security and stability along the LAC and continuing dialogue through military and diplomatic channels to work out a mutually acceptable resolution of remaining issues.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh raised the LAC row with Li at their meeting on April 27 and stressed that the violation of border management agreements has eroded bilateral relations, and the development of ties is based on peace and tranquillity at the borders. Singh told Li all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in line with bilateral agreements and commitments.

Former Northern Army commander Lt Gen (retired) DS Hooda described Singh’s stand as the standard Indian position – that the standoff has impacted bilateral ties, which can only improve if the PLA disengages and pulls back additional forces.

“This indicates both sides have probably reiterated their respective positions and there is no substantive move forward. However, it is good that high-level political contacts are taking place because ultimately the resolution will come at the political level,” Hooda said.

While addressing the Army Commanders’ Conference on April 19, Singh expressed confidence in the Indian Army’s ability to handle any contingency along the border with China even as he said talks will continue for peaceful resolution of the lingering row in Ladakh sector as disengagement and de-escalation are the best way forward.