China and India agree to ‘disengage troops’ in Himalayas

India and China have committed to “quickly disengage” troops on the Himalayan border to reduce the risk of further conflict, reported the Financial Times.

The agreement was reached in talks between S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, and Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, in Moscow, days after the two countries accused each other of firing the first shots along the frontier in 45 years.

“The current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side,” a joint statement issued early on Friday morning said. “Border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions.”

They also agreed that troops should “avoid any action that could escalate matters”.