After almost five years of border tensions and a deteriorating relationship, India and China recently announced that they have come to an agreement to resolve their problems, brightening hopes of regional stability and increased south-south cooperation.
As per the agreement announced last month, both the countries have agreed to the disengagement of their troops along their border called the “Line of Actual Control (LAC)” in the eastern Ladakh (Aksai Chin) in Himalayan region and of their patrols at two friction points of Depsang and Demchock.
The agreement was first announced by India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on October 21. He had claimed that this agreement will lead to further talks and ultimately the resolution of the problems which arose between both the countries in 2020.
China confirmed the agreement a day later claiming it was a result of a long communication through diplomatic and military channels calling the development a positive one.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning re-confirmed the agreement earlier this week on Monday, claiming that “the Chinese and Indian troops are implementing the resolutions that the two sides reached on issues concerning the border area” and the process of its implementation is “going smoothly at the moment.”
In June 2020, there was a fierce clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan valley in Ladakh region in which over 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed. This was considered as the worst confrontation between the countries since the 1962 war. At the end of that war, the LAC was created as the ceasefire line.
India-China relations took a southward turn after the 2020 Galwan incident. India banned several Chinese apps and even accused Chinese companies of trying to carry out anti-India activities. India also moved closer to the West and even joined US-led anti-China groups like Quad (US, Australia, India and Japan) despite concerns raised by the Chinese.
The South Asian country also participated in various military drills in the region led by the US and even proclaimed support to the provocative US maneuvers in the South China Sea.
Deal strengthens Global South and moves for multipolarity
Rityusha Tiwari, a Chinese studies scholar at University of Delhi told Peoples Dispatch, that the agreement should be seen as a “limited rapprochement” and “a step in a positive direction.”
The agreement could be the basis of the restoration of the peace and tranquility at the China-India border which was achieved before 2020 and an opportunity to take the bilateral relationship to new heights, India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said during a meeting in New Delhi last month.
News of the agreement preceded the meeting of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan in Russia last month.
During the meeting Xi emphasized that as “large developing countries and important members of the Global South, China, and India” must keep their bilateral relations on the right track with greater communication and while facilitating “each other’s pursuit of development aspirations.”
Both India and China are members of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS, which both were formed to foster greater cooperation among the countries in the Global South and to challenge the hegemonic control of the West in international relations.
The leadership in both countries have repeatedly expressed their desires to increase cooperation at the global level as creating a multipolar world is a common priority of both the nations.
During his meeting with Xi, Modi had asserted that the development of both the countries is crucial for the peace and stability in the region and creation of a more democratic world order. He assured Xi of his country’s stronger partnership with China in the SCO, BRICS, and other multilateral forums in order to fulfill the common objectives in world politics.
China-India trade has been rising despite the tension in the last five years, with China emerging as India’s largest trading partner last year beating the US. In spite of the conflict, the bilateral trade between both the countries rose from around USD 82 billion in 2020 to around USD 118 billion in 2023-24.
Rityusha says, “the two [China and India] could not have gone on an indefinite period of conflict and antagonism” given the fact “they both belong to the Global South and the hierarchical nature of the global relations.”
“I see India and China trying to move forward despite all odds. This is definitely good for the region and contributes to the stability of the region and also to the stability of the global south solidarity. It is going to be a very very important factor in transforming the hierarchical nature of global relations,” as well, Rityusha says.
“The fact that this limited rapprochement could be achieved within the framework of BRICS and under the aegis of Russia underlines the fact that” both the countries have a stable relation with at least one major power, Riyusha says. She claims that this would be a crucial safeguard during possible hiccups in future.
