China and India agree to pull troops back from disputed Himalayan border
India and China have agreed to pull back troops from a bitterly contested lake area high in the western Himalayas, India’s defense minister said on Thursday, in a breakthrough after a monthslong standoff on the disputed border.
Rajnath Singh told parliament the accord over Pangong Tso, a glacial lake at 14,000 feet, had been reached after several rounds of talks between military commanders and diplomats from the nuclear-armed neighbors.
“Our sustained talks with China have led to agreement on disengagement on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake,” he said.
China’s defense ministry said frontline troops from the two countries had begun to pull back from the shores of the lake on Wednesday.