Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday, November 3, that the recent de-escalation of tension between India and China in eastern Ladakh could pave the way for “other steps” in their relations.

Speaking to the Indian community in Australia, Jaishankar shared that India and China have made some progress in reducing tensions in their bilateral relations. S Jaishankar will be on a five-day visit to Australia from November 3 to November 7.

“We have made some progress in terms of India and China. You know, our relations have deteriorated very, very much for reasons you all know. “We have made some progress on what we call separation,” he said. Jaishankar added that India needs to evaluate the path it will follow after separation.

“There are large numbers of Chinese troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control that were not there before 2020, and we have deployed against that. There are other aspects of the relationship that are affected during this period. So clearly, we need to see what direction we will go after the break. However, we think that leaving is a welcome step. “This opens up the possibility that you know other steps may be taking place,” he added.

Jaishankar said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last month, expectations were that “both the national security adviser and I would meet our counterpart.” So that’s really how things are.”

Indian EAM’s comments came just days after Indian and Chinese troops completed disengagement in two tense areas in eastern Ladakh, Demchok and Depsang Plains. After the verification process, the Indian Army resumed patrolling at two contested points along the border.

The tension between India and China arose due to China’s aggressive actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Indian officials have repeatedly emphasized that relations between the two countries can normalize only when the situation at the LAC returns to pre-May 2020 conditions.

(With input from institutions)