India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as confirmed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. This agreement comes after more than four years of tension and standoff in eastern Ladakh, primarily due to China's aggressive actions since April 2020.

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi emphasized that Indian forces will only disengage after the situation at the LAC returns to its status quo from April 2020. He stated that the focus was on restoring trust with China, which had destabilized the area. General Dwivedi reiterated that India seeks to return to the pre-May 2020 conditions before moving forward with disengagement and de-escalation efforts.

Despite the recent agreement, India maintains that normalization of bilateral relations with China hinges on the restoration of the LAC situation to its previous state. Misri highlighted ongoing discussions at various levels, which have helped resolve standoffs in the past and led to the current agreement aimed at disengagement and addressing issues that arose in 2020. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that the situation along the LAC has improved to what it was before May 2020.