India-China LAC disengagement completed, patrolling to begin soon

Disengagement between India and China in Depsang and Demchok completed on Wednesday and coordinated patrolling by both sides will start soon, ANI reported citing Indian Army sources.

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

Amid thaw, the two nations will also exchange sweets tomorrow.


India and China had commenced troop disengagement from two friction points at Demchok and Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh earlier this week. A four-year military standoff was ended last week when the nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to monitor the border, opening the door for better political and commercial relations.

Relations between India and China have been tense since a violent clash occurred in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, causing the most serious military conflict between the two nations in decades.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday confirmed that frontier troops of New Delhi and Beijing are engaged in "relevant work" in line with the agreement reached on border issues.

This work is progressing "smoothly", said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian during a press briefing.

"In accordance with the recent resolutions on border issues, the Chinese and Indian frontier troops are engaged in relevant work, progressing smoothly at present," he said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated on October 21 that the agreement was reached after several weeks of negotiations leading to a resolution of the issues that arose in 2020.

On October 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping endorsed the agreement on patrolling and disengagement. This endorsement happened during their bilateral meeting at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.