External Affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the India-China relations which hit a rock bottom after the 2020 Galwan Valley dispute have been improving due to continuous 'diplomatic talks'
Jaishankar said, "The House is well aware of the circumstances leading to the violent clashes in Galwan Valley in June 2020. In the months thereafter, we were addressing a situation that had not only seen fatalities for the first time in 45 years but also a turn of events serious enough for heavy weaponry to be deployed in close proximity to the LAC. While a determined counter-deployment of adequate capability was the government's immediate response, there was also the imperative of a diplomatic effort to defuse these heightened tensions and restore peace and tranquillity."
"The contemporary phase of our ties with China dates back to 1988 when there was a clear understanding that the Sino-Indian boundary question will be settled through peaceful and friendly consultations. In 1991, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquility in the areas along the LAC pending a final settlement of the boundary question. Thereafter, in 1993, an agreement was reached on the maintenance of peace and tranquillity. Subsequently, in 1996, India and China agreed on confidence-building measures in the military field. In 2003, we finalised a Declaration of Principles of our relations and comprehensive cooperation, which included the appointment of special representatives."
"In 2005, a protocol was formulated on modalities for the implementation of confidence-building measures along the LAC. At the same time, the political parameters and guiding principles for the settlement of the boundary question was agreed to. In 2012, a working mechanism for Consultation and coordination WMCC was established and a year later we reached an understanding on border defence cooperation as well. The purpose of my recalling these agreements is to underline the elaborate nature of our shared efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity and to emphasize the seriousness of what its unprecedented disruption in 2020 implied for our overall relationship."
