India-China relations show signs of improvement as diplomatic efforts ease Ladakh tensions

After the Galwan Valley conflict, relations between India and China had deteriorated a lot. There was tension between the two countries. Meanwhile, news is coming that now China’s attitude seems to be softening. And it is believed that now there is a possibility of improvement in the relations between the two countries.

India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval have continuously taken initiatives for this. Now the statements coming from China are also indicating improvement in relations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the tension between the armies in four areas of eastern Ladakh has reduced. In a meeting between India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Russia on the sidelines of the meeting of senior officials of BRICS countries on Thursday, both the countries have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations.

Regarding the meeting of Doval and Wang, he said that both the countries believe that for peace and development, it is necessary to strengthen the relations between the two countries. It is known that this statement of China has come when Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had said in Geneva a day earlier that 75 percent of the dispute with China has been resolved. During the press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked whether the two countries are close to removing the ice on bilateral relations for more than four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh? To this, Mao said that both the armies have withdrawn from four areas and the situation on the border is stable. He said that troops have retreated in four places. The spokesperson said, “In recent years, the front-line armies of both the countries have completed the withdrawal from four points in the western region of the China-India border, including the Galwan Valley. The situation on the China-India border is generally stable and under control. His remarks came a day after the statement made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Geneva. Jaishankar had said that about 75 percent of the problems related to the withdrawal of troops with China have been resolved, but the big issue is the increasing militarization on the border. Let us tell you that the deadlock between the Indian and Chinese armies has been going on since May 2020 and the border dispute has not been fully resolved yet. However, both sides have withdrawn their troops from many points of conflict. Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. This was the most serious military conflict between the two sides after decades. India’s clear stand is that as long as there is no peace in the border areas, its relations with China cannot be normal. So far, 21 rounds of corps commander level talks have been held between the two sides to resolve the deadlock.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the representatives of the two countries have also discussed the improvement recorded in the border issue. When Ming was asked whether bilateral relations have been sluggish for the last four years after the tension between the armies of the two countries in eastern Ladakh, can it get new momentum. Responding to the question, he said that the armies of both the countries have realized the need to maintain peace in four areas on the border. The situation on the border is stable right now.

In a dialogue session with the think tank ‘Geneva Center for Security Policy’ in Switzerland, Jaishankar said that the clashes in the Galvan Valley in June 2020 affected India-China relations in a holistic way. He said that no one can say after the violence on the border that the rest of the relations are untouched by it. The Foreign Minister said that talks are going on between the two sides to find a solution to the problem. He said, “Now those talks are going on. We have made some progress. You can roughly say that about 75 percent of the problems related to the withdrawal of troops have been resolved. Jaishankar said in response to a question, we still have to do some things.