China Says Disengagement Process In Ladakh's Depsang, Demchok Areas Going "Smoothly"

After the Indian Army confirmed that the disengagement process between Indian and PLA troops along the Depsang Plains and Demchok in Ladakh has begun, Chinese authorities affirmed this development, saying that the frontier troops of both the countries are "engaged in relevant work, which is going smoothly at the moment”, Indian Express reported.

The Indian Army’s confirmation on Friday (25 October) came four days after India announced an agreement on patrolling in these regions had been reached between the two sides.

While the disengagement is expected to be completed by 28-29 October, challenging terrain and weather conditions could influence the timeline.

Addressing a gathering at Flame University in Pune on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar praised the Indian military’s commitment, noting their resolve in defending the border under “very very unimaginable conditions.”

He highlighted the coordinated efforts of both the military and diplomatic channels in managing the standoff.

“If today we have reached where we have… One is because of the very determined effort on our part to stand our ground and make our point. The military was there (at LAC) in very, very unimaginable conditions to defend the country, and the military did its part and diplomacy did its part,” Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar elaborated on the complex issues at play, noting that the current priority is disengagement due to the close proximity of the troops.

“Then there is a larger issue of how you manage the border and negotiate the boundary settlement. Right now everything that’s going is concerning the first part which is disengagement,” he said.

The recent agreement will allow patrolling to resume in the Depsang and Demchok areas as it was prior to the standoff, Jaishankar said.

He emphasised that while relations would take time to stabilise, efforts are in place to build trust between the two nations.

During a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Kazan, both leaders agreed on further engagements between their foreign ministers and National Security Advisors to explore solution to the long-standing border issue.

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