China and India agree to withdraw soldiers near site of deadly border clash

Soldiers will move away from the area at the Himalayan border where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in June 2020

The development comes after New Delhi and Beijing issued a statement describing the 12th round of talks between their military officials as ‘constructive’

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Indian soldiers at a mountain pass that connects Srinagar to the union territory of Ladakh, bordering China. Photo: TNS

Published: 11:59pm, 3 Aug 2021Updated: 9:58pm, 4 Aug 2021

China and India have agreed to pull back troops from another friction point along their disputed Himalayan border after a weekend meeting of top military commanders from both sides, according to senior Indian officials with knowledge of the matter.

Soldiers will move away from the Galwan Valley area, where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in June 2020 in one of the most violent clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in more than 40 years, the officials said on Tuesday, asking not to be named citing rules for speaking to the media.

The development comes a day after New Delhi and Beijing issued an unusual joint statement describing their 12th round of discussions between their military officials as “constructive”, suggesting the rivals had found some common ground after more than a year of tensions.

A demilitarised zone will be created after the troops and artillery withdraw and the area will not be patrolled by either side to prevent rival soldiers from coming face to face, the officials said. Similar no-patrol-zones exist in other disputed sections of the border.

Indian Army spokesman Colonel Sudhir Chamoli did not immediately comment on the reports.