Disengagement: Can India Trust a Belligerent China? | UnBreak the News with Prema Sridevi

For over 28 months, India and China were locked in a standoff in eastern Ladakh, but on Thursday, both countries announced that their frontline troops would start disengagement from Patrol Point-15 at the Gogra-Hot Springs area in eastern Ladakh. The disengagement meant that the troops would move back to their rear positions and dismantle their temporary infrastructure across the region. The breakthrough came after the 16th round of military discussions between the two sides. What does this disengagement exercise mean for India and China? Can India trust a belligerent China? Prema Sridevi UnBreaks this News for you! 

(Produced below are the transcripts of the video explainer from Episode:89 | UnBreak the News with Prema Sridevi | Title: Can India trust a belligerent China)

by Prema Sridevi

For over 28 months, India and China were locked in a standoff in eastern Ladakh, but on Thursday, both countries announced that their frontline troops would start disengagement from Patrol Point-15 at the Gogra-Hot Springs area in eastern Ladakh. The disengagement meant that the troops would move back to their rear positions and dismantle their temporary infrastructure across the region. The breakthrough came after the 16th round of military discussions between the two sides. What does this disengagement exercise mean for India and China? Can India trust a belligerent China? Let's UnBreak this news! 

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On Thursday, the Ministry of Defence in India issued a joint statement that stated: "as per the consensus reached in the 16th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hot Springs (Patrol Point-15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way, which is conducive to the peace and tranquillity in the border areas." 

In a separate statement, the Ministry of External Affairs added that all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides would be dismantled and mutually verified. The landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-stand-off period by both sides. 

Since the Sino-Indian war of 1962, India and China have witnessed numerous border skirmishes. But the tensions escalated between the two countries in 2019 after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, India passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 and divided the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories - the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh. Immediately after that, China started a troop buildup in Ladakh. In June 2020, the tension peaked when India and China got involved in a violent clash at Ladakh's Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed.

While the two countries are looking at disengagement from Patrol Point-15 at the Gogra-Hot Springs area in eastern Ladakh, India has consistently accused China of showing its aggression across the borders. In July this year, Indian media reported that China was planning to build a second highway through Aksai Chin. China has still not resolved the issues at two major friction points: Depsang plains and the Charding Nulla Junction in the Demchok sector. The Chinese forces continue to block Indian access to India's traditional patrolling areas in the Depsang plains. The Chinese troops hold large areas of Indian territory to the north in the Depsang plains. 

India and China share a disputed 3488-kilometre boundary, and both countries have deployed more than 50,000 troops on either side. This August, there were reports that the Chinese troops had stopped Indian graziers at Demchok in Ladakh. In Demchok, the Chinese were accused of erecting tents on the Indian side. 

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In Depsang and Demchok, China continues to block many Patrol Points. Over the last three decades, India has signed several agreements with China for peace at the borders. But after each agreement, the Indian defence sources have said that the Chinese violated the agreements and continued transgressions. So then, why have the two countries decided to disengage? The PP 15 disengagement decision was taken by both the countries before Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar left for Tokyo for the India-Japan 2+2 ministerial meeting. 

The disengagement announcement also comes ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit (SCO summit) in Samarkand in Uzbekistan on September 15 and 16, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be under the same roof for the first time since the Galwan clashes. 

After the disengagement was announced, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "The fact that China and India agreed to begin disengagement in the area of Jianan Daban is a positive development that is conducive to peace and tranquillity along the border. China is committed to properly handling relevant issues through communication and dialogue. We don't accept the so-called status quo created by India's illegal crossing of the LAC." 

The aggressive tone of the Chinese spokesperson's comments gives a glimpse of what the future beholds for the disputed border areas between India and China. The disengagement decision by both sides seems like a  cosmetic exercise to set the stage for the SCO summit. Indian defence analysts have constantly blamed China for repeated incursions and disengagements in the past. The question is, can India still trust a belligerent China? Can India afford to put its guard down?