India, China to complete disengagement at two friction points by Oct 28-29

Indian Army sources reportedly said Friday (Oct 25) that Indian and Chinese forces will complete disengagement at two key friction points by October 28-29, marking a major thaw in a relationship that has remained largely strained over the past four years.

News agency ANI quoted the army sources as saying that the latest agreements will be applicable only to Depsang and Demchok and not to other places.

“This agreement will not be applicable to other friction zones. Troops from both sides will fall back to positions they held pre-April 2020 and they will patrol areas where they patrolled till April 2020. Regular ground commanders meetings will continue to be held. A particulate strength of troops in the patrols has been identified and inform each other when we are going to patrol to avoid any miscommunication. All temporary infrastructure like sheds or tents and troops will be removed. The two sides will have surveillance over the area. Patrolling points in the Depsang and Demchok will be the points where we had been patrolling traditionally pre-April 2020,” the sources told ANI.

The sources added that the Indian Army and Chinese Army will start patrolling up to their respective patrolling points by the end of this month.

Earlier on Friday, Indian defence officials said that the disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops had begun at the two points.

Demchok and Despang are the last two friction points of the 2020 standoff (between India and China) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The above development came after Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that border consensus had been achieved to restore the ground situation based on the principles of equal and mutual security between India and China along the LAC.

Addressing the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, Defence Minister Singh said New Delhi and Beijing had been involved in talks both at diplomatic and military levels to resolve their differences in certain areas along the LAC.

“The consensus achieved includes patrolling and grazing in the traditional areas. This is the power of engaging in continuous dialogue because sooner or later solutions will emerge,” Singh said.

The two nations had reached an agreement on patrolling along the LAC on Monday (Oct 21), two days ahead of the historic meeting between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

(With inputs from agencies)