India and China said they had begun separating their forces in the border region of Gujra-Hotssprings in the western Himalayas, after two years of border clashes that strained diplomatic relations.
The separation of forces comes ahead of a meeting in Uzbekistan, next week, that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend, according to “Archyde.com”.
The two sides said the separation of forces is taking place in a coordinated and “planned” manner that would help keep peace on the border.
“The forces have been separated,” an Indian defense source said Thursday, although the two countries still maintain thousands of troops along the border, known as the Line of Actual Control.
“This is the first step towards consolidating calm in the Line of Actual Control area,” added the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
On Friday, the Chinese Defense Ministry said that the separation of forces between the two sides had begun in a “synchronized and planned” manner, adding, “This helps maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
India and China share an unmarked 3,800 km border, where their forces previously adhered to long-standing protocols to avoid the use of any firearms.
There have been 16 rounds of meetings between the top military leaders of the two countries since June 2020, when Indian and Chinese forces clashed in Gelwan district of Ladakh province, according to “Archyde.com”.
After a bloody battle in June 2020, India and China, the two most populous countries in the world, redirected tens of thousands of additional troops to the high Himalayas, according to “AFP”.
At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed in a fistfight, which led to a sharp escalation of tension between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants, according to “Archyde.com”.