(Bloomberg) -- India and Chinese soldiers have pulled back from another friction point along their disputed Himalayan border following a meeting between top military commanders from both sides on July 31, according to an Indian army statement.
The disengagement took place Thursday near the area where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in June 2020 in one of the most violent clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in over forty years. “All temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides have been dismantled and mutually verified,” Friday's statement said.
There was no immediate statement from China's Defense Ministry.
Last week New Delhi and Beijing issued an unusual joint statement describing the 12th round of discussions between their military officials as “constructive,” suggesting the rivals had found some common ground after more than a year of tensions along the frontier.
A demilitarized zone will be created after the troops and artillery withdraw and the area will not be patrolled by either side to prevent rival soldiers from coming face-to-face with each other, Indian officials had said earlier. Similar no-patrol-zones exist in other disputed sections of the border.
The neighbors have been locked in a standoff along their disputed 3,488 kilometer (2,170 mile) border for more than a year. New Delhi recently redirected an additional 50,000 troops to its northern frontier.
Why Chinese and Indian Troops Clash in the Himalayas: Quick Take
In February, soldiers pulled back from Pangong Tso -- a glacial lake some 4,270 meters (14,000 feet) above sea level -- marking out a zone that neither side patrols.
Soldiers from both sides are still in rifle range of each other at several points along their high-altitude frontier. Disagreements over the sequence of withdrawing troops, tanks and artillery pieces from areas of dispute has slowed progress in talks.
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