India China reached into comprehensive agreement on border dispute

Beijing: India and China on Wednesday reached a comprehensive agreement to avoid border tensions and army face-offs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by deciding that neither side will use military capability to attack the other side nor tail patrols along the border.

In all 9 agreements, including the BDCA and one on strengthening cooperation on trans-border rivers, were signed after restricted and delegation-level talks that lasted over two hours as Singh and Premier Li met for the second time this year for talks which the Indian leader described as “fruitful and productive”.

But as expected, there was no pact on liberalizing the visa regime, which the Chinese side was very keen but India held back in the wake of the controversy over the stapled visas issued by the Chinese Embassy to two Indian archers from Arunachal Pradesh.

The two leaders told the media that the fact that they met twice in a single calendar year, the first since 1954 when Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Zhou Enlai undertook visits, reflected the significance of the strategic relationship between the two countries and the agreements reached on Wednesday would inject a new dynamism in the ties.

In his remarks at the joint press interaction, Singh said the two countries agreed that peace and tranquillity on the borders must remain the foundation for growth in the India- China relationship, “even as we move forward the negotiations towards a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement to the India-China Boundary Question. This will be our strategic benchmark.”
Affirming to continue to implementing confidence building measures in the military field along the LAC, the BDCA agreed to consider establishing a Hotline between the military headquarters of the two countries and specific arrangements which will be decided by mutual consultations.
The two sides agreed that they shall not follow or tail patrols of the other side in areas where there is no common understanding of the LAC and in case of a doubtful situation, clarifications shall be sought and got through established mechanisms.
The lack of clarity and the difference in perceptions about the LAC have been blamed by both the sides for the intrusions. The PLA intrusion in Depsang Valley in Ladakh lasted three weeks before Chinese troops withdrew to their original position.
India and China also agreed that if their border defence forces come to a “face-to-face” situation in areas where there is no common understanding of the LAC, both sides shall exercise maximum self-restraint, refrain from any provocative actions, not use force or threaten to use force against the other side, treat each other with courtesy and prevent exchange of fire or armed conflict.
“The two sides shall implement this Agreement without prejudice to their respective positions on the alignment of the LAC as well as on the boundary question,” according to the deal.
The BDCA recalled the spirit of the various agreements between the two countries on border management since 1993 and the establishment of a working mechanism for consultation and coordination on India-China Border Affairs signed in January, 2012.
Against the backdrop of complaints of China building dams on the Brahmaputra, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to further strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers, cooperate through the Expert Level Mechanism on provision of flood-season hydrological data and emergency management and exchange views on other issues of mutual interest.