Diplomats have created channels for India and China to address Himalayan border tensions, says India’s army chief

Discussions between Indian and Chinese diplomats have created potential pathways for the two Asian nations to address the ongoing conflict along their Himalayan border, stated India’s army chief on Tuesday.

Relations between the nuclear-capable neighbors have been tense since violent confrontations in 2020 resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers along the largely undefined border.

Efforts to resolve the standoff through diplomatic and military channels have progressed slowly, adversely affecting business interactions between the two most populous countries, with New Delhi increasing scrutiny of Chinese investments and suspending significant projects.

“The diplomatic side is showing positive signals,” General Upendra Dwivedi remarked at a defense think tank event. “However, the implementation on the ground relies on the military leaders from both sides to make those decisions.”

Dwivedi emphasized that India seeks to restore the status of the western Himalayan frontier to its condition prior to April 2020, when the standoff commenced, noting that the situation will remain delicate until that occurs.

The military forces have withdrawn from four out of six confrontation sites, yet they have not achieved a resolution on the remaining contentious areas. According to Dwivedi, the parties have addressed the more straightforward issues and must now tackle the more complex challenges.

These remarks from the Indian army chief came after recent discussions between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Jaishankar noted last month that approximately 75% of the disengagement issues along the border with China have been resolved.

Following Doval’s meeting with Wang in Russia last month, both nations also committed to intensifying their efforts to ensure complete disengagement.