NEW DELHI – India and China said they would withdraw their security forces along part of their disputed Himalayan border, a move that could help ease tensions for months between the two most populous countries in the world.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told lawmakers in Parliament on Thursday that the two countries had agreed to a gradual withdrawal around Lake Pangong, where there are overlapping claims.
Both sides agreed that their security forces around the lake would gradually withdraw to their positions before border tensions increased last year. The sides agreed that temporary structures and infrastructure built since April would be removed and that patrolling in disputed territories would be suspended, Singh said.
The troop movement began on Wednesday and will not result in the transfer of land previously controlled by India, he said.
China on Wednesday announced a synchronized withdrawal of frontline troops from the northern and southern shores of the picturesque lake.