China Confirms Deal with India on Himalayan Border Dispute

China has announced that it has reached an agreement with India concerning their disputed border in the Himalayan region, following India’s earlier statement about a pact for military patrols along the frontier.

The announcement made on Tuesday did not clarify whether the agreement pertains to the entire border or just specific areas where the two countries have faced standoffs since 2020.

Relations between the world’s two most populous, nuclear-armed nations have been tense since clashes in the largely undemarcated frontier of Ladakh in 2020, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. In the aftermath, both nations withdrew tens of thousands of troops and agreed to refrain from sending patrols into a narrow strip near the Line of Actual Control, which stretches approximately 3,488 km (2,167 miles) through the Himalayas.

This line unofficially divides Chinese and Indian-held territories, from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east, which China claims as part of its Tibet region.

The historical context includes a 1962 conflict when Chinese troops crossed into Indian territory over border demarcation issues, leading to a four-week war. Following this, China retained control of Aksai Chin, a vital corridor linking Tibet to western China.

During a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated, “Recently, China and India have maintained close communication through diplomatic and military channels regarding border issues. Currently, the two sides have reached a solution to the relevant matters, which China views positively.”

On Monday, India’s Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, confirmed that an agreement had been made regarding border patrolling, indicating a potential resolution to the military standoff. He remarked that the understanding “creates a basis for peace and tranquility along the border, which existed before 2020,” during a conference hosted by NDTV.

Lin noted that China is committed to working with India to implement the agreement but did not provide specific details.

This announcement comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, where talks between the two leaders may take place on the sidelines of the event.