Getty ImagesIndia and China have agreed on surveillance arrangements to curb tensions along their disputed Himalayan border, an Indian embassy official said.
Vikram Misri said on Monday that the two sides had agreed to “non-discussion and resolution of the issues in this regard.” [border] places that had appeared in 2020”.
He was referring to Galwan Valley Conflicts in which both sides were injured – the first deadly conflict between the two sides since 1975.
Relations between the neighbors have soured ever since.
“An agreement has been reached on the surveillance systems along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the areas along the India-China border, leading to the separation and resolution of the issues that arose in these areas in 2020,” said Mr. Misri.
Mr Misri, however, did not give details about the withdrawal process and whether it would cover all disputes along the disputed border.
The statement of the Indian foreign secretary comes one day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Russia for a meeting of BRICS countries that include 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.
Getty ImagesHis remarks on Monday marked the biggest development between the two nuclear-armed countries since then Galwan disputes
Soldiers in the Galwan Valley are fighting with sticks and clubs because of a 1996 agreement between the two countries that banned the use of firearms and explosives near the border.
Several talks between their diplomats and military leaders over the past four years have not yielded much results.
The soldiers of both sides met each other in the northern area of Sikkim in 2021 and also in the Tawang sector of the border in 2022.
Border disputes have cast a long shadow on India-China relations for decades. The two countries fought a war in 1962 in which India suffered a heavy defeat.
Business relations between the two Asian giants have also been strained by tensions.
The cause is an ill-defined, 3,440km (2,100-mile) long disputed border. Rivers, lakes and glaciers along the border mean that the line often shifts, bringing soldiers into contact in many places, causing clashes.
The two nations have been competing to build infrastructure along the border, which has fueled tensions.
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