What’s new: Chinese and Indian military brass have agreed to resolve their border issues “as soon as possible,” China’s defense ministry said, as violent border clashes in 2020 and 2022 have continued to weigh on relations.
The two sides agreed to maintain communication and “turn the page” regarding the border situation, the ministry said in a statement published Wednesday, following commander-level talks held two days earlier on the Chinese side of the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point.
They committed to maintaining peace in the border areas in the meantime, according to official statements from both sides. Beijing described the talks as “positive, in-depth and constructive” and New Delhi noted the meeting was held in a “friendly and cordial atmosphere.”
The talks sought “complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in Eastern Ladakh” as a basis of restoration of peace along the border, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement.
The background: A border conflict between China and India in June 2020 — the worst in more than 40 years — left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead, chilling relations between the two Asian powers.
The two troops clashed again along the disputed Himalayan frontier in December 2022, during which the Indian side claimed both sides had injuries.
President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in August and directed officials to work to resolve the border dispute, Bloomberg reported.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
