China and India withdraw troops from disputed Himalayan region

India and China have withdrawn their troops from a border region near the Himalayas. This was reported by an Indian defense official. last week the nations agreed about how soldiers would monitor the border. That limit has led to tension between the two nuclear powers for decades. Now, the troops of both countries have moved out of Depsang and Demchock areas, an Indian Army official said.

Both India and China call it not a border, but a demarcation line which they call “the line of current control”. It is more than 3,400 kilometers long and runs through wild rivers, lakes and moving glaciers. Both countries claim the area. According to Indian diplomat Vikram Misri, the agreement to withdraw the troops was negotiated for weeks.

In 1962, the two countries fought a war in the Himalayas for over a month and there have been several armed conflicts since then. Recently, in 2020, Indian and Chinese soldiers met each other on what they thought was their own territory. 24 soldiers were killed, including twenty from India. Since then, the two countries have been in a stalemate. Now that the countries no longer have troops in the disputed area, they have left for the places where they were stationed before 2020.

In the coming days, China and India will check whether the troops have really left before re-entering the area. When the countries go on patrol, they inform each other of the presence of troops in the area, to prevent violent conflicts.

According to Indian media, discussions are also ongoing about other border areas where there is tension, such as the Yangtze, Asapila and the Subansiri River Valley. As the important Hindu festival of Diwali is celebrated tomorrow, Indian and Chinese soldiers will exchange sweets.