India and China on September 8 Jointly announced that their Armies have begun to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh.
Key points
- The announcement comes ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to participate.
- As per the understanding reached earlier on disengagement, a buffer zone is to be created at the friction points once troops are withdrawn by both sides and new patrolling norms are to be worked out after complete disengagement and de-escalation.
- Hot Springs is only the third friction point in the Ladakh sector of the LAC where the two sides have agreed to withdraw frontline troops after more than two dozen rounds of diplomatic and military talks since the military standoff emerged in the open in May 2020.
- They earlier withdrew troops from the north and south banks of Pangong Lake and at Gogra.
A brutal clash between Indian and Chinese forces at Galwan Valley in June 2020 resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and unknown number of Chinese troops.
