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Indian and Chinese soldiers pull back from key border area
- Troops from both sides have begun disengaging from Gogra-Hotsprings in the western Himalayas, New Delhi says, 2 years after clashes at the frontier
- The statement comes ahead of a meeting in Uzbekistan next week, which leaders Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi are expected to attend
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Indian and Chinese troops have begun disengaging from the Gogra-Hotsprings border area in the western Himalayas, the Indian government said in a statement on Thursday, two years after clashes at the frontier strained diplomatic ties.
The statement comes ahead of a meeting in Uzbekistan next week which Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend.
India said disengagement was taking place in a coordinated and planned way and is meant to keep border peace.
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“The eyeball-to-eyeball contact has ended,” an Indian defence source said, referring to the latest agreement, although both countries still have thousands of soldiers lined up along the de factor border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“The forces have disengaged. They have not been de-inducted.”
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“This is the first step towards a calmer LAC,” the source said, declining to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media.
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