NEW DELHI, India: India’s foreign ministry has announced that Indian and Chinese soldiers
will withdraw from a disputed area along a remote western Himalayan border they share by 12th September.
The move, which was also confirmed by Beijing, comes more than two years after a deadly clash between their armies after several rounds of talks between senior military officials, and is part of efforts by the two governments to avoid further tensions.
Next week, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend a meeting in Uzbekistan.
India’s foreign ministry said Indian and Chinese soldiers began their withdrawal from the Gogra-Hot Springs area in Ladakh in the western Himalayas last week, and it will be completed by early next week.
In a statement, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, “The two sides have agreed to cease forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas.”
“All temporary structures in the area erected by both militaries will also be dismantled as part of the agreement,” he added.
Rakesh Sharma, a retired Indian lieutenant general who has served in Ladakh, said, “This is a positive step. Face to face scenario has been obviated.”
Similar buffer arrangements have been implemented in other areas of Ladakh after a deadly clash in June 2020 killed at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
India and China share an un-demarcated 2,360-mile de facto border, known as the “Line of Actual Control.”
