China, India to disengage border troops
Positive sign of tensions cooling down, takes time to carry out: experts
China and India have agreed to disengage front-line border troops in batches and take effective measures to ease the situation in the border areas, a source close to Chinese border troops told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The source said Chinese and Indian border troops held a third round of military commander-level talks on Tuesday. The two sides had a frank and in-depth exchange of views, discussed effective ways to resolve current differences in border control, and studied concrete measures to enhance mutual trust and maintain stability.
The two sides have agreed to disengage frontline troops in batches and take effective measures to ease the situation in the border areas. The source said that the military commanderlevel’s meeting showed the two sides’ willingness to ease tensions on the border, and avoid further escalating the situation.
What is urgent now is that India should meet China halfway, strictly restrain the actions of frontline troops, refrain from taking radical moves and risks, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the ChinaIndia border areas, the source stressed.
Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National
Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Global Times that this is a positive sign, showing that the tension between the two side is easing in the wake of a bloody clash on June 15.
The Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday that the Indian Army has deployed six T-90 missile firing tanks and top-of-the-line shoulder-fired anti-tank missile systems in the Galwan Valley sector.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at Wednesday’s routine press briefing that China and India have made active progress in pushing for effective measures to disengage frontline border troops and ease the situation on the border areas at the third round of military commanderlevel talks on Tuesday.
As the Galwan Valley sector is a narrow space, the presence of so many troops signals that the tension has escalated. The third talks, which propelled both sides to reach a consensus to disengage their frontline border troops in batches, means that the two armies are engaged in a process to resolve their differences via peaceful talks, said Qian.
During the first round of talks between army commanders, the two sides had negotiated to disengage their troops in batches, but the consensus was broken by the June 15 accident.
Asked whether the June 15 accident will recur, Qian said that this is why China has repeatedly asked India to manage its front-line troops to avoid such accidents. Once history repeats itself, it will surely add fuel to the fire, he said, urging the Indian side to strictly forbid its army from crossing the border and manage its activities.
He believes from military perspective, it will take time for both sides to disengage their frontline troops in batches. For one, both sides need time to see if the other is obeying the consensus, and then withdraw its increased troops accordingly to bring peace to the border.