India and China agree to de-escalate border tensions
India and China have agreed on patrolling arrangements to de-escalate tensions along a disputed Himalayan border which has seen deadly hand-to-hand clashes in recent years, India’s top diplomat has said.
On Monday, Vikram Misri announced that both nations have settled on new patrolling measures aimed at 'disengagement and resolving issues in these border areas that emerged in 2020.'
His comments referred to the violent clashes in the Galwan Valley, a significant event as it marked the first deadly encounter between the two countries since 1975, resulting in casualties on both sides.
Since the Galwan incident, relations between India and China have remained strained.
Misri stated, 'An agreement has been reached on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, which will lead to disengagement and the resolution of issues that arose in 2020.'
The Indian foreign secretary’s announcement comes just ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia for a BRICS summit with leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
While Misri did not confirm whether a direct meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is planned, his statement represents a significant diplomatic development between the two nuclear-armed nations since the Galwan clashes.
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