AFP
Ties between India and China have been strained since 2020 clashes along a disputed border
India and China have agreed to mount patrols to ease tensions along a disputed Himalayan border that has been the scene of deadly hand-to-hand clashes in recent years, India's top diplomat said.
Vikram Misri said on Monday that both sides had agreed on “disengagement and resolution of issues in these (border) areas which had arisen in 2020”.
He was referring to the Galwan Valley clashes – the first deadly confrontation between the two sides since 1975, in which both sides suffered casualties.
Since then, relations between neighbors have been strained.
“An agreement was reached on modalities for patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and resolution of issues arising in these areas in 2020” , said Mr. Misri.
Mr. Misri, however, gave no details on the disengagement process or whether it would cover all conflict points along the disputed border.
The Indian foreign minister's statement comes just a day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Russia for a meeting of Brics countries that includes 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.
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The Galwan clashes constitute the first fatal confrontation between the two camps since 1975.
His remarks on Monday mark a major development between the two nuclear-armed nations since the Galwan clashes.
Troops in the Galwan Valley have been fighting with clubs and sticks due to the 1996 agreement between the two countries banning the use of firearms and explosives near the border.
Several rounds of negotiations between their diplomats and military leaders over the past four years have failed to produce a major breakthrough.
Troops from both sides clashed in the northern Sikkim region in 2021 and again in the Tawang border sector in 2022.
Border tensions have cast a shadow over India-China relations for decades. The two countries fought a war in 1962 during which India suffered a heavy defeat.
Trade relations between the two Asian giants have also suffered from tensions.
The root cause is a poorly defined disputed border, 3,440 km (2,100 miles) long. Rivers, lakes and snow-capped peaks along the border cause the line to shift often, bringing soldiers face to face in many places, triggering a confrontation.
The two countries are also competing to build infrastructure along the border, which has sparked new tensions.
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