Indian and Chinese troops have begun withdrawing from the Gogra-Hotsprings border region in the western Himalayas, both sides said, two years after border clashes soured diplomatic ties. The withdrawal comes ahead of a meeting in Uzbekistan next week that is expected to be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Both sides said the withdrawal was taking place in a coordinated and “planned” manner to help maintain peace on the border. “Eye-to-eye contact has ended,” an Indian defense source said on Thursday, although the two countries still had thousands of troops lined up along the de facto border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). “The power has disconnected. They were not recalled.” “This is the first step towards a more peaceful LAC,” the source said, declining to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
China’s Ministry of Defense said on Friday that troops from both sides had begun to withdraw in a “synchronized and planned” manner. “This contributes to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas,” the ministry said. India and China share an unrestricted 3,800 km (2,360 mi) border, where their troops have previously followed long-standing protocols to avoid the use of any firearms.
Since June 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan area of ​​Ladakh, 16 rounds of meetings have taken place between senior military commanders from the two countries. At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the melee, leading to a sharp escalation of tensions between the nuclear-armed Asian giants.
India has moved about 50,000 troops along disputed areas in Ladakh to match China’s deployment, some at altitudes of over 15,000 feet (4,572 m), where lack of oxygen and sub-freezing temperatures can be life-threatening. In February 2021, Chinese troops dismantled dozens of structures and moved vehicles to evacuate entire camps from the banks of Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh as part of a deal to withdraw its troops, some of whom were stationed in close proximity to one another. .
Read Now :A 31,000-year-old skeleton is stated as world’s first successful surgery
