The recent understandings between India and China by the foreign ministers in Moscow on September 10 and military commanders on Tuesday are intended to begin the process of a limited disengagement and ensure a continued ‘standstill’ at the Line of Actual Control amid a deep trust deficit between the two sides.
The disengagement would depend on the political intent of the Chinese leadership and its willingness to de-escalate on the ground, Indian sources said the two joint statements should be read only to prevent provocative jostling at friction points on the LAC which could flare into hostilities even as India remains prepared for all eventualities.
A key decision is to stop sending more troops to the frontlines in eastern Ladakh, and keep troops at a ‘safe’ distance from each other and reopen real-time communications, which had frozen.
This is intended to ensure a halt to the relentless build-up on the LAC, as a precursor to further steps in the disengagement exercise.
The understanding is to keep the situation stable until agreement on disengagement is reached for which further rounds of talks have been proposed,” a source said. In future talks, both sides will get an opportunity to test intentions and ability to follow through on their decisions.