India and China agreed to de-escalate border tensions

India and China have agreed on patrol arrangements to reduce tensions along the disputed Himalayan border between the two countries, India’s top diplomat said.

Vikram Misri said on Monday that the two sides had agreed on “retreating and resolving issues in these matters”. [border] areas arising in 2020”.

He is referring Galwan Valley clash in which both sides suffered casualties – the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975.

Relations between the neighbors have been tense ever since.

“An agreement has been reached on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, leading to withdrawal of troops and resolution of emerging issues,” Mr. Misri said. born in these areas in 2020”.

However, Mr. Misri did not give any details about the troop withdrawal process and whether it would include all conflict points along the disputed border.

The Indian Foreign Minister’s statement was made just a day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Russia to attend a meeting of Brics countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Mr. Misri did not confirm whether a bilateral meeting between Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was on the agenda.

His comments on Monday marked a major development between the two nuclear-armed nations since Galwan clash

Troops in the Galwan Valley fight with clubs and sticks because of a 1996 agreement between the two countries banning the use of guns and explosives near the border.

Several rounds of talks between diplomats and their military leaders over the past four years have yielded no major breakthroughs.

The two armies clashed in the northern region of Sikkim in 2021 and again in the Tawang area of ​​the border in 2022.

Border tensions have cast a shadow over India-China relations for decades. The two countries went to war in 1962, in which India suffered a heavy defeat.

Business relations between the two Asian giants have also been affected by tensions.

The root cause is that the 3,440km (2,100 mile) long disputed border is not clearly defined. Rivers, lakes and snow along the border mean the line frequently shifts, leaving soldiers facing off at many points, causing conflict.

The two countries are also competing to build infrastructure along the border, which has increased tensions.

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