WEB DESK

India and China have begun a long process of disengagement in eastern Ladakh after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday evening. The conversation finalised the disengagement in eastern Ladakh and de-escalation along the LAC.

The External Affairs Ministry said that the two Special Representatives agreed that both the sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquility in India-China border areas was essential for the further development of bilateral relations. They also said that the two sides should not allow differences to become disputes.

Therefore, they agreed that it was necessary to ensure at the earliest to complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility.

The two sides should also ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation in the India-China border areas. They re-affirmed that both sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and should not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquility in the border areas.