The US appreciates India-China’s efforts to settle the eastern Ladakh situation peacefully. This comes after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made an historical announcement regarding the situation in the parliament on Thursday.
US Welcomes India-China Agreement
The spokesperson of the State Department said that they are closely following the reports of the initial deployment of troops from both sides. And they further welcome the constant efforts to “de-escalate the situation”.
Congressman Michael McCaul leads the Republican in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He also welcomed the decision regarding the “disengagement of troops”. He took to Twitter and said that it’s “heartening” to see that India stands strongly as they defend their sovereignty.
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He further criticised the Chinese Community Party’s “territorial aggression” towards the East and South China Seas. McCaul said that the CCP’s constant aggression towards the waters of the Mekong and Himalayas shall not be tolerated in the 21st century.
However, the US has agreed to become a close spectator of the situation and not intervene personally.
India-China Reach Agreement on Eastern Ladakh
Over the years, both India and China have had a large number of battle tanks and armoured vehicles in both sides of the water banks. Apart from the heavy weaponry in the high-altitude areas of eastern Ladakh region, the tension in the area further escalated in June last year.
On June 15, 2020, twenty Indian soldiers died in hand-to-hand combat in Galwan Valley. This incident is said to be the most serious military conflicts that have taken place from both India and China in decades.
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However, China is yet to disclose the number of Chinese army personnel that were killed and injured during the clash. The official statements declare that China too has suffered casualties. At the same time, an American Intelligence Report claimed that the number of people who died during the clash from China was 35.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Thursday in the Parliament that both India and China have reached an agreement regarding the North and South banks of Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh. In the latest agreement, both the sides will work towards decreasing the armed deployment of the army troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner. In the last meeting, both sides agreed to enhance mutual trust and cooperation.
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In his speech, Singh said that they have clearly proved it that India is ready to face any kind of challenges to protect their sovereignty. He further said that this impacted their bilateral ties which India has always been against.
Singh added that after nine rounds of negotiations between India and China, both the nations have decided to take the troops back to their original posts.
In the announcement, he further said that the next meeting between China and India will be conducted within 48 hours after both sides have completely taken the excess army from the Pangong Lake. The meeting will include the Senior Commanders of both sides and will work towards the remaining issues as well.
