India-China ties changed 'significantly' since Oct 2024, says Army Chief General Dwivedi

The Army Chief was speaking at the curtain-raiser of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in Delhi on Monday morning.

India-China relations have undergone a “significant change” since October 2024, with renewed political engagement helping stabilise the Line of Actual Control (LAC), asserted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday.

General Dwivedi said, “India-China relations have changed significantly. Since October 2024, ties have improved as the political leaders of both countries have met.” He added that both sides had underlined that it was in their “interest to maintain normalcy at the LAC.”

The Army Chief was speaking at the curtain-raiser of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in Delhi on Monday morning.

The COAS said the two countries have agreed to continue talks and “constructively pursue the resolution of issues.” He noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has held regular meetings with his Chinese counterparts, contributing to a gradual easing of tensions.

He also referred to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent interaction with his Chinese counterpart, saying Singh conveyed that “the snow should melt now”, a pointed message urging forward movement on stalled border disengagement.

"Both sides agreed to continue dialogues and constructively pursue the resolution of issues. The External Affairs Minister keeps meeting his counterparts, and the Defence Minister has conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the ‘snow should melt’ now," noted the Army Chief.

“The more we keep talking, the better the resolution we will achieve,” General Dwivedi stated, stressing that sustained dialogue remains essential to restoring full normalcy along the frontier.

Early this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 31–September 1 during the SCO summit in Tianjin, aimed at stabilising India-China ties after years of border tensions.

PM Modi, during the bilateral meet, had stated that the talks in Kazan last year had “given a positive direction” to relations, adding, “After the disengagement on the border, an atmosphere of peace and stability has been created.”

The leaders had also reviewed steps to normalise engagement, including resuming border trade at Lipulekh, Shipki La, and Nathu La, restarting direct flights, and easing visa restrictions.