On 29 November 1996, in New Delhi, the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People's Republic of China on Confidence-Building Measures in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas was signed. The signatories were I. K. Gujral for India and Qian Qichen for China, during the state visit of President Jiang Zemin. Two originals, in Hindi, Chinese and English, all three equally authentic; in case of divergence the English text prevails. It is not the Agreement of 7 September 1993 on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the same line.

The preamble invokes the five principles of peaceful coexistence and the 1993 agreement. Article I: neither side shall use its military capability against the other; armed forces deployed along the line shall not attack the other side or engage in military activities that threaten it. Article II: the two sides seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question; pending an ultimate solution they shall strictly respect and observe the line of actual control; no activities shall overstep it.

Article III: military forces within mutually agreed geographical zones shall be reduced or limited to minimum levels compatible with friendly and good-neighbourly relations and with the principle of mutual and equal security. Field army, border defence forces, paramilitary forces and any other mutually agreed category shall be limited to ceilings to be agreed; the major categories of armaments are combat tanks, infantry combat vehicles, guns (including howitzers) of 75 mm or bigger calibre, mortars of 120 mm or bigger calibre, surface-to-surface missiles and surface-to-air missiles. Data shall be exchanged, with due regard to terrain, roads and the time taken to induct or de-induct troops.

Article IV: large-scale exercises involving more than one Division (approximately 15,000 troops) in close proximity of the line shall be avoided; if they are conducted, the strategic direction of the main force shall not be towards the other side. Exercises involving more than one Brigade Group (approximately 5,000 troops) shall be notified in advance as to type, level, planned duration, area and units. Article V: combat aircraft (fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, military trainer, armed helicopter and other armed aircraft) shall not fly within ten kilometres of the line except with prior information; unarmed transport aircraft, survey aircraft and helicopters may fly up to the line; no military aircraft shall fly across the line except by prior permission.

Article VI: neither side shall open fire, cause bio-degradation, use hazardous chemicals, conduct blast operations or hunt with guns or explosives within two kilometres of the line, except for routine firing in small-arms ranges; blast operations for developmental activities shall be notified, preferably five days in advance. In a face-to-face situation, self-restraint and immediate consultations. Article VII: scheduled and flag meetings, telecommunication links, and step-by-step medium- and high-level contacts. Article VIII: assistance for personnel who cross because of natural disasters; information on disasters and epidemic diseases. Article IX: either side may seek a clarification through diplomatic channels.

Article X: full implementation of some provisions depends on a common understanding of the alignment of the line; the process of clarification shall be speeded up and maps exchanged showing respective perceptions; pending that, measures shall be implemented on an interim basis without prejudice to either side's positions. Article XI: detailed implementation shall be decided in the India-China Joint Working Group on the Boundary Question, assisted by the Diplomatic and Military Expert Group. Article XII: ratification; it enters into force on the date of exchange of instruments, on 5 August 1997; either side may terminate it after six months' written notice. It is not the 2005 Protocol on modalities for the implementation of confidence-building measures.

Image: Hyderabad House, New Delhi; Aloofmanish, 25 February 2022; CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Agreement on Military Confidence Building Measures, 1996. Treaty text: Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control, New Delhi, 29 November 1996.