‘Back to 2020 situation’: Why China border deal is huge victory for India

India has pulled off the seemingly difficult task of getting a stubborn China to return to the patrolling agreements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that was in place before the Galwan clashes in April 2020. Given that China had maintained a dogged stance of not agreeing to India’s status quo demand for four years makes the victory sweeter — not only diplomatically but militarily as well.
The disengagement agreement came after 17 rounds of working mechanism meetings and 21 rounds of military dialogue. “What it will entail is that in the pending areas under discussion, patrolling and grazing activities, wherever applicable, will revert to the situation as it existed in 2020,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, echoing External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks at a media event.
The agreement also set the stage for the first meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia since the border standoff brought ties close to breaking point.

Armoured vehicles of the Indian Army at a military camp in Eastern Ladakh (AFP)

The new agreement will facilitate Indian troops to resume patrolling up to their old patrolling points in Depsang and Demchok — the two major friction areas that were left to be sorted between the two nations. Disputes have already been settled in Gogra-Hot Springs, Pangong Lake, and Galwan Valley, the site of a fierce hand-to-hand combat between the two troops that resulted in fatalities on both sides.
The Depsang plains, located in the north of Ladakh, and Demchok in the south accounted for the majority of the disputed area. The significance could be gauged from the fact China was reluctant to discuss the two regions until about a year ago.
The Depsang Plains, in particular, hold huge military significance. Located just 30 km from the significant Daulat Beg Oldie post near the Karakoram Pass, the region has a flat surface in contrast to the mountainous terrain of the region.
The flat terrain allows for easy movement of troops and tanks to the border in case of military offensives. The situation was concerning as the Chinese soldiers had intruded 15 km into areas patrolled by Indian forces.
Besides, the agreement gives hope of settling the broader Sino-India territorial dispute as both nations have different perceptions of the LAC, which divides the areas of physical control rather than territorial claims.
India and China share a 3,488 km long border. While China claims about 90,000 sq km of India’s territory, including in Arunachal Pradesh, India has maintained that 38,000 sq km of land in the disputed Aksai Chin region is part of Ladakh. India has always maintained that Arunachal Pradesh was an “integral and inalienable” part of the country.

PM Modi and Xi Jinping during their 2019 meeting in Chennai

Besides, the border pact is also likely to pave the way for improved political and trade ties between the Asian giants. After the Galwan clashes, Chinese companies struggled to do business in India as the Modi government tightened investment norms. It also banned around 300 popular Chinese apps, like TikTok.
The normalisation of ties may also see the resumption of direct passenger flights to China after a four-year halt. Flights between the two countries that were halted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 never resumed.
Business ties are likely to receive a boost. It is no secret that China has long been one of India’s top trading partners and a key supplier of telecom hardware and raw pharma materials.
Moreover, India had mandated an extra layer of scrutiny and security clearance of investments from companies based in neighbouring countries in 2020. It was mainly seen targeting China. The move led to billions of dollars in proposed investment getting stuck in the approval process.