India-Chinese troop disengagement in Ladakh’s Depsang, Demchok complete

The India-China disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the strategically significant areas of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh has been completed, defense officials said on Oct 30.

“Armies of two nations are currently verifying the vacating of positions and the removal of infrastructure in these regions,” a defense official was quoted as saying, adding, “Coordinated patrolling is all set to begin anytime soon.”

Meanwhile, ground commanders will continue to hold talks, he said.

The disengagement process aims to resolve the border dispute between the two and restore pre-April 2020 conditions.
India is focused on resolving this long-standing border dispute to restore the situation to what it was before April 2020, prior to the onset of Chinese military aggression.

On Oct 25, the Chinese Foreign Ministry corroborated that the frontier troops of both nations are actively engaged in "relevant work" in line with their agreement on border issues.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters, “In accordance with the recent resolutions on border issues, the Chinese and Indian frontier troops are engaged in relevant work, progressing smoothly at present.”

This development follows an agreement announced by India on Oct 21 regarding patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, effectively ending a military standoff that has lasted over four years. The agreement was underscored by a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia, where both leaders welcomed the new patrolling arrangements.

The border standoff, which ignited in 2020 due to Chinese military actions in eastern Ladakh, has led to prolonged tensions between the two nations. However, the recent developments indicate a potential thaw in relations as both countries work towards stability along their contested border.

Meanwhile, the US State Department recently welcomed the "reduction in tensions" along the India-China border following the recent disengagement of troops along the LAC. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington is closely monitoring the situation.

"We are closely following the developments and we understand that both countries have taken initial steps to withdraw troops from the friction points along the LAC. We welcome any reduction in tensions along the border," Miller said during a daily press briefing.

"We have talked to our Indian partners and taken a brief on it, but we did not play any role in this resolution," he added.