India, China agree to de-escalate border tensions

NEW DELHI, Oct 21 (BBC): India and China have agreed on patrolling arrangements to de-escalate tensions along their disputed Himalayan border, India's top diplomat has said.

Vikram Misri said on Monday that the two sides have agreed on "disengagement and resolution of issues in these [border] areas that had arisen in 2020". He was referring to the Galwan Valley clashes in which both sides suffered casualties - the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975.

Relations between the neighbours have been strained since then. "An agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020," Mr Misri said.

Mr Misri, however, did not give any details about the disengagement process and whether it would cover all points of conflict along the disputed border.

The Indian foreign secretary's statement comes just a day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Russia for a meeting of Brics nations which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.