The long stand-off between India and China in Doklam has finally come to an end, with the Dragon agreeing to New Delhi's insistence on simultaneous withdrawal of troops for a resolution. After 72 days of sustained negotiations between top-level officials from both sides, the foreign ministry announced that “expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off in Doklam has been agreed and is ongoing”.
The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that as Indian troops withdrew to their post at Doka La, Chinese troops along with their road-building equipment, were removed from the site. “This process has almost been completed under verification,” the statement said. Both the countries came face to face on June 16, when Indian troops had to physically stop the People's Liberation Army from building a road on Doklam plateau heading towards the Jampheri ridge. While the Chinese will continue to patrol the region as it did earlier, there will now be no road construction activity. The withdrawal comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China for the BRICS summit. The resolution also does good to President Xi Jinping, who intends to win yet another set of five years in the crucial 19th party congress.
An MEA spokesperson said that India successfully conveyed its “concerns and interests” in the numerous meetings held between Indian and Chinese officials in the past couple of months. Negotiations were conducted at various levels, beginning with NSA Ajit Doval's visit to China in July when he held discussions with counterpart Yang Jiechi. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar led diplomatic talks with the Chinese with the help of India's Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale.
Without divulging on details of the disengagement, New Delhi said both sides had diplomatic exchanges over the situation on Doklam plateau in the eastern Himalayas. Following the disengagement, Chinese Foreign Ministry said, “Chinese personnel on the ground have verified” that Indian forces withdrew to their side of the border. Spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground, China will make necessary adjustment and deployment.” The agreement came days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China to attend a summit of BRICS, a grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
