ALBAWABA- India and China have agreed to end a four-year military standoff along their disputed border, a move that could pave the way for improved political and economic relations between the two Asian powers.
The agreement, announced by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday, establishes a patrolling framework for the frontier to restore the situation to pre-2020 conditions and complete the disengagement process.
The announcement comes just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Russia for the BRICS summit from October 22-24, where he may hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since deadly clashes in 2020 along the undemarcated border in the western Himalayas, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Since then, both sides have ceased patrolling certain areas in the Ladakh region and have deployed tens of thousands of troops and military equipment near the disputed highlands.
Under the new agreement, the two militaries will patrol the contested areas according to a set schedule, with both sides monitoring to ensure no violations occur.
The deal is seen by many analysts as beneficial for the BRICS bloc but potentially challenging for U.S. interests, as Washington has sought to use India as a counterbalance to China.
