China and India said on Friday after the Moscow meeting they had agreed to de-escalate renewed tensions and disengage troops on their contested Himalayan border. They agree to take steps to restore “peace and tranquillity” following a high-level diplomatic meeting in Moscow.
Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met in Moscow on Thursday. China and India reached a five-point consensus. It includes agreements that troops from both sides should quickly disengage and ease tensions between China and India after the Moscow meeting.
The consensus came after a confrontation in the border area in the western Himalayas earlier this week.
“The two Foreign Ministers agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side. They agreed that the border troops should continue their talks, maintain proper distance and reduce tensions,” they said in the statement.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar told Wang the task would be for troops to step back from the border so that things do not get worse. Troops are barely a few hundred meters apart at some points.
China-India tension
China and India accused each other of firing into the air during the confrontation. Moreover, the armed fight is a violation of a long-held protocol not to use firearms on the border.
Wang told Jaishankar the “imperative is to stop provocations such as firing that violate the commitments made by the two sides.”
Wang also told Jaishankar all personnel and equipment must be moved from the border to de-escalate the situation.
In June, tensions erupted into a frontier clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed and China suffered an unspecified number of casualties.
In June, Chinese soldiers killed at least 20 Indian soldiers in a fight at Galwan. A report said China could make India suffer more severe military losses if it wants to engage in competition.
What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments section below.
