This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/world/asia/china-india-standoff-withdrawal.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
China and India Agree to Ease Tensions in Border Dispute China and India Agree to Ease Tensions in Border Dispute
(about 13 hours later)
BEIJING — China and India reached an agreement to ease tensions at the site of a heated border dispute in a remote section of the Himalayas, Chinese and Indian officials announced on Monday, the first sign of a thaw in one of the worst diplomatic flare-ups between the Asian rivals in decades. NEW DELHI — India and China agreed on Monday to back away from their confrontation over a tiny slice of territory high in the Himalayas, easing tensions between the world’s two most populous countries.
The two countries have agreed to “expeditious disengagement” along the disputed area, known as the Doklam Plateau, according to a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. For weeks, worries had been growing of a major conflict between the two nuclear powers, in what had developed into one of the worst border disputes between the countries in 30 years — punctuated by a rock-throwing, chest-bumping fracas between the Chinese and Indian soldiers.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the agreement on Monday, though it vowed to continue to patrol the disputed area. Both sides agreed to give some ground in order to end the standoff. In a short statement, the Indian government said it had reached an “understanding” with Beijing and had agreed to an “expeditious disengagement” along the border, pulling back troops who had been sent to the disputed area to block the Chinese from building a new road.
India had objected to Chinese efforts to extend an unpaved road on the plateau. Chinese officials did not say on Monday whether that construction would continue, simply saying that India had decided to withdraw troops from the region. China seemed willing to compromise as well, still claiming the disputed territory, but making no mention in its statements on Monday that it was continuing to build the contentious road.
It was not immediately clear whether Chinese and Indian officials had made progress toward a permanent solution. But for the time being, the two sides appeared to have found a way to avoid a serious escalation. Minutes after the announcement, Indian stocks rallied and many in India claimed victory. “The Himalayan ice has melted,” one Indian newspaper wrote. An Indian TV station issued a breaking news bulletin that said: “Diplomatic win over China.”
Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested that China might reduce the number of troops in the territory. But some analysts said that India realized, after initially talking tough and sending the troops into the area, that it was overmatched, economically and militarily.
“Given that the situation has changed, the Chinese will make necessary adjustments and deployments in line with current conditions,” Ms. Hua said at a daily news briefing in Beijing. “What we are seeing is face-saving,” said C. Raja Mohan, the director of Carnegie India, a branch of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
While vowing that China would “protect territorial sovereignty,” she added that “the Chinese government values the development of good-neighbor relations with India.” The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the agreement on Monday, though it vowed to continue to patrol the disputed area. The state-controlled news media portrayed the agreement as a victory for China and a sign that the nation was acting as a “responsible big country” in handling global affairs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is scheduled to visit China next week, placing pressure on Chinese and Indian officials to find a solution. Clearly, analysts said, China had its own sound reasons to end the dispute. “It would be a strategic disaster for China to make a mortal enemy out of India,” said Daniel C. Lynch, a professor of Asian and international studies at the City University of Hong Kong. “The last thing an aging, economically less vibrant China needs is to fall into a generations-long cold war with India.”
The BSE, India’s largest stock exchange, shot up several points within minutes of the announcement. However, many in India are likely to see the agreement as a loss of face, because India initially took an aggressive posture about Doklam even though China’s military and economy are both much larger. While the agreement does not amount to a permanent solution, the two sides appeared to have found a way to avoid a serious confrontation. Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested that China might even reduce troop levels in the area, which number in the hundreds.
The Chinese state-controlled news media portrayed the agreement as a victory for China and a sign that the nation was acting as a “responsible big country” in handling global affairs. “Given that the situation has changed, the Chinese will make necessary adjustments and deployments in line with current conditions,” Ms. Hua said at a daily news briefing in Beijing. While vowing that China would “protect territorial sovereignty,” she added that “the Chinese government values the development of good-neighbor relations with India.”
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is scheduled to visit China next week for an international conference, which may have placed pressure on Chinese and Indian officials to find a solution before he arrived.
Still, some experts warned that relief could be temporary. “Another standoff is completely possible,” said Zhang Li, an expert on India at Sichuan University in southwest China. “We shouldn’t be overly optimistic.”Still, some experts warned that relief could be temporary. “Another standoff is completely possible,” said Zhang Li, an expert on India at Sichuan University in southwest China. “We shouldn’t be overly optimistic.”
Tensions erupted in June when India sent troops to halt a plan by China to extend an unpaved road on the Doklam Plateau, where China, India and the kingdom of Bhutan meet. India does not claim the land, which covers about 34 square miles, but has maintained that it was acting on behalf of Bhutan, a close ally. The disputed territory, 34 square miles of an area called the Doklam Plateau, is not claimed by India. It lies on the border of Bhutan and China, but India sees it as a buffer zone that is close to other disputed areas with China and not too far from the strategically vital strip of land known as the chicken neck.
Chinese officials were furious and demanded that India pull back. The standoff had seemed to grow tenser by the day. Videos circulated of troops from both countries throwing rocks at each other and bumping torsos. Chinese news outlets produced anti-India propaganda with racist themes. The narrow passage connects the bulk of India to its northeastern states, and India is always vigilant about any military activity in the vicinity.
Some analysts warned about the possibility of war breaking out, with both countries swelling with nationalism and eager to demonstrate muscle. Tensions erupted in June when India sent troops to halt a plan by China to extend an unpaved road on the Doklam Plateau, where China, India and the kingdom of Bhutan meet. India maintained that it was acting on behalf of Bhutan, a close ally.
Privately, the two countries continued to talk, despite the toll the dispute had taken on diplomatic relations. Chinese officials were furious and demanded that India pull back. The standoff seemed to grow more tense by the day. Videos emerged of soldiers throwing rocks and bumping torsos.
With India likely to officially surpass China in population in the near future, experts said it was in the interest of Beijing to reach a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Chinese news outlets produced anti-India propaganda with racist themes. Some analysts warned of the possibility of war breaking out, with both countries swelling with nationalism and eager to demonstrate muscle.
”It would be a strategic disaster for China to make a mortal enemy out of India,” said Daniel C. Lynch, a professor of Asian and international studies at the City University of Hong Kong. “The last thing an aging, economically less vibrant China needs is to fall into a generations-long cold war with India.” Behind the scenes, though, the two countries continued to talk, despite the toll the dispute had taken on relations, and were able to find a way out of the impasse.