NEW DELHI: India and China have “successfully terminated” the over three-week long standoff of its troops in Chumar and Demchok areas in eastern Ladakh and will hold a meeting on border affairs next month, the government said here on Tuesday.
As per understanding reached between India and China, the two sides have carried out disengagement and redeployment of border troops in Chumar and Demchok areas in eastern Ladakh on 26th-27th September, to restore the “status quo ante as on 1st September”, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement here.
A meeting of the Border Commanders of the two sides was held today at Spanggur Gap to confirm that the stand-off between the border troops of two sides in Chumar and Demchok areas has been successfully terminated, it said.
“The two sides have also agreed that a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) will be convened in India on 16th-17th October 2014 to discuss various issues pertaining to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” the ministry said.
The two armies were engaged in a stand-off at Chumar region in Ladakh, coinciding with the first visit of the Chinese President.
Tension erupted in the area earlier this month when some Chinese workers, who were constructing a road on their side, crossed into the Indian side in Chumur and also claimed that they had orders to build a road up to Tible, 5-km deep inside Indian territory.
In Demchok, Chinese troops had pushed in civilians into Indian territories to prevent work on an irrigation canal being built for the people of the area.
They had pitched tents in the Indian territory which was subsequently removed on 27th September when Chinese officials met India officials in New Delhi and a decision to restore status quo to September 1 was taken.
As per the decision, both the sides had to complete withdrawal in the Himalayan region by today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had yesterday rejected any need for outside arbitration to resolve the vexed boundary issue with China, saying the two countries are competent to find a solution through talks.
“India and China are capable of resolving issues through talks. There is no need for any arbitration,” Modi had said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in response to a question. PTI
