China says India border is stable, contrasting with Indian view
NBCMAR 12 2023
India and China have agreed to de-escalate border tensions that had arisen since the deadly clashes between their troops in 2020. This comes ahead of a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pres. Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Russia on Oct. 22-24.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Monday said the two nuclear powers had agreed to a patrolling arrangement along their Himalayan border. Their troops had reportedly stopped patrolling in many places in the Ladakh region and stacked up reinforcements amid hostilities.
The two countries have held 18 rounds of military talks to resolve the border issue, which has been ongoing since a deadly clash in 2020 that killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.The areas that the two sides have agreed to resume patrolling in — reportedly the first step towards full-scale disengagement — include the Depsang and Demchok regions of Ladakh. Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had reported disengagement of troops in four areas of Ladakh.
The border situation is stable, and China and India have more common interests than differences. The border issue should be put in its proper place within bilateral relations, and both sides should work towards normalizing the situation as soon as possible.
China's aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the border status quo have severely damaged bilateral relations. The deployment of large numbers of Chinese troops and the violation of existing agreements have eroded the entire basis of the relationship between the two countries.